Dr. Geiger-Simpson is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specializing in care of children and adolescents and has a faculty practice at the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain (MIDB). She is well respected in the field for her knowledge and evidence-based practice with a caring, holistic approach that patients love. Dr. Geiger-Simpson draws on her years of experience in psychiatric mental health nursing and interprofessional settings to inform her teaching. Dr. Geiger-Simpson seamlessly incorporates her clinical expertise into her role as teacher, and expertly demonstrates how to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Dr. Geiger-Simpson is one of the most enthusiastic educators I know, and she brings engaging and real-world experience into her classroom teaching. She is able to create an effective learning environment as evidenced by student feedback such as; “She encourages critical thinking and deep discussions about important issues," “creates a psychologically safe space for learning and exploration,” makes the class feel like a safe place to grow and learn,” “helps me think more critically,” and “fosters lifetime learning.”

School of Nursing faculty colleagues recognize Dr. Geiger-Simpson’s ability to bridge theory and practice and she is frequently requested to be a guest lecturer for numerous courses in the school. She has been invited to guest lecture over 16 times in various courses, including BSN and MN courses, as well as Pediatric NP, Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gero NP, Integrative Health and Healing DNP, Midwifery, DNP specialties.

Interprofessional collaborative practice is critical for patient care, especially with patients who have complex mental health and medical conditions. In her clinical practice at MIDB, she actively participates in the interprofessional weekly anxiety round tables where multidisciplinary learners and providers consult on patient cases. This round table offers an interprofessional perspective enhancing patient care and provides an environment for multidisciplinary learners to practice and observe the benefits of interprofessional care.

Dr. Geiger-Simpson bridges the gap between theory and practice through teaching interprofessionally in the School of Nursing and by co-leading five interprofessional simulations across two semesters for PMHNP students and pharmacy students. Dr. Geiger-Simpson bridges the gap between theory and practice by regularly precepting PMHNP students in her clinical practice. In addition, as an example of going above and beyond, she provides shadowing opportunities to pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) DNP students every spring semester. Her effective feedback and mentorship promote knowledge, skills, and competence for all students as they learn how to care for patients with complex psychiatric needs.

Dr. Geiger-Simpson is actively engaged on a national level to help bridge the gap between theory and practice. She has been invited to present about psychiatric care to multiple organizations including the MN National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, International Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses Association (ISPN), and American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) for which she is current president for the MN chapter.

Lastly, Dr. Geiger-Simpson has been recognized for her expertise in child and adolescent mental health research. She was invited to work with Dr. Wendy Looman as a CoPI on the ‘D2D Tip Top Kids: A Pilot Test of New Strategies to Measure Trajectories of Pediatric Quality of Life’ study. In this study’s creative approach, Dr. Geiger-Simpson conducted data collection with children and adolescents at the Minnesota State Fair. Her clinical practice expertise is evident in how she engages with research and she is now bridging the gap between theory and practice through dissemination of findings in journal articles and conference presentations.

Note: This is Elena's 2nd DAISY Award!