Patrick P. Lee Foundation Extends Scholarship Support for Psychiatric Mental Health NP Program

The Patrick P. Lee Foundation, a private foundation based in Buffalo, NY that focuses on education and mental health, has extended its support of the University of Rochester School of Nursing for another four years, dedicating more than $1.2 million to Western New York’s psychiatric and mental health nursing workforce.

Originally launched in 2020 to remove financial barriers for those interested in mental health careers, the Lee Foundation Scholarship will continue to provide half-tuition scholarships for up to 24 Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) students total, or six per year for the next four years. The School of Nursing matches this contribution, offering a tuition-free pathway to a master’s degree.

The Lee Scholarship is primarily designated for individuals in counties surrounding Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, with the goal of increasing access to mental health care and addressing workforce shortages in Western New York.

“The Lee Foundation’s continued support helps us expand the psychiatric mental health advanced nursing workforce to ensure that individuals across our region can receive the care they need and deserve,” said PMHNP Program Director and Professor of Clinical Nursing Susan Blaakman, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, FNAP, FAAN. “We are extremely grateful for the Lee Foundation’s investment in our nurses and in our community’s overall well-being.”

For Jennifer Boor ’17N, ’23N (MS), the scholarship arrived at just the right time: Due to layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic, Boor became the sole provider for her husband and two young children just as she was preparing to start her master’s in the PMHNP program.

“The Lee Foundation provided me the life-changing opportunity to pursue a career that I love without sacrificing my family's livelihood,” said Boor, who now practices as a float nurse practitioner in Strong Memorial Hospital’s inpatient psychiatry tower and in the Child and Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Service.

Boor has a previous master’s in counseling and worked as a chemical dependency therapist but found that advanced nursing practice offered professional opportunities that she couldn’t find in other types of mental health roles, especially while providing direct care to patients.

“The world needs more well-trained mental health professionals, and I am honored to have been selected for such an amazing opportunity,” she said.

Former Lee scholar Kai Mbeke ’22N (MS), RN, has been providing mental health care as a nurse for nearly 20 years at the Buffalo Psychiatric Center, where she is now a nurse practitioner specializing in adult outpatient mental health at the Butler Clinic.

“One of the most supportive gestures shown to me was the financial assistance provided by the Patrick P. Lee Foundation,” Mbeke said. “There is a great need for high quality, comprehensive care. It’s vital that individuals to receive the mental health care they deserve.”

“My experience at the School of Nursing has uniquely prepared me for my goal of becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner,” she added. “The curriculum equipped me with profound insight on mental health disorders, psychopharmacology, and evidence-based practices. Through clinical placements, I had the amazing opportunity to apply what I learned in real-world psychiatric settings and gain invaluable hands-on experience. My educational experience proved to be priceless.”

Across the University, the Lee Foundation has also provided scholarships to students at the Hajim School of Engineering, and made a large grant to Professor of Psychiatry Steven Silverstein, PhD, to launch the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Interventions for Changes in Emotions, Perception, and Thinking (INTERCEPT) clinic. The unique early intervention clinic aims to prevent psychotic disorders from developing in young people.

Learn more about master’s degree, advanced certificate, and post-bachelor’s-to-DNP pathways in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty. Get the latest UR Nursing news in your inbox.