In The Media

Susanne Phillips
The Nurse Practitioner, January 22, 2026

38th Annual APRN Legislative Update Transformative change through APRN practice authority progress

"The 38th Annual APRN Legislative Update provides a comprehensive state-by-state analysis of the legislative and regulatory landscape shaping the advanced practice nursing profession across the United States. Drawing on survey data collected from relevant authorities in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., the report highlights significant progress in 2025 toward full practice authority and prescriptive authority expansion for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). It also provides an overview of statutory and regulatory changes enacted or passed in 2025 that affect APRN practice nationwide. Key themes among these changes include steps toward administrative modernization, pathways to independent prescribing, and incremental gains in reimbursement parity. Persistent challenges remain, particularly in required transition to practice periods and equitable payment models. This year's edition of the Legislative Update underscores accelerating momentum toward dismantling APRN practice barriers and increasing APRN utilization to improve care access, quality, and cost-effectiveness." (Dr. Susanne J. Phillips)
Dean Mark Lazenby headshot
The Bruce Cook Show, KABC Radio AM 790, Nov. 26, 2025 (Podcast), December 4, 2025

Dean Mark Lazenby from UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing reveals stunning facts about CA’s nursing shortage

"Mark Lazenby, dean and professor of the UCI School of Nursing, joins Bruce on the quality of health care around the nation, and specifically in California, where prices of care and prescription drugs are skyrocketing. That, mixed with the lack of quality doctors, nurses and the changing landscape of how health care is obtained, could mean longer wait times for less than adequate care." (Bruce Cook)
Dean Mark Lazenby headshot
Healthgrades for Professionals, November 22, 2025

How Advancing Nurse Training Can Help Ease Burnout, Boost Retention

"Mark Lazenby, Dean of the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing at UC Irvine, outlines key drivers of the global nursing shortage and how new approaches to education and training can help ease burnout and improve retention." (Cathy Cassata)
Dean Mark Lazenby headshot
NPR, LAist AirTalk, October 14, 2025

Dean Mark Lazenby Talks with NPR about the Causes of the Nursing Shortage

"California, much like the rest of the country, cannot keep up with the demand for nurses. And the reasons are complicated. The profession has a high turnover rate, and some argue that accessible education — public schools and community colleges — does not have the capacity to keep up. Meanwhile, private schools, although they have more space, can be too expensive for some. Others argue that the real issue is poor working conditions and understaffing at hospitals. Today on AirTalk, we discuss the many challenges facing the state’s nursing workforce. Joining us is Mark Lazenby, professor of nursing and philosophy, and second dean of the UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing." (Larry Mantle)
Screenshot of Alison Holman interview on collective trauma on KPBS, San Diego
KPBS, San Diego, September 30, 2025

When the news hurts: How relentless bad headlines impact our health

"Headlines these days are hard to stomach: federal troops in major cities in the United States, the assassination of a political activist, rising calls for civil war, free speech threats, immigration raids, and runaway costs for food, housing and healthcare. The drumbeat of distressing news can feel like an assault, even to the steeliest among us. But experts say the barrage of bad news does more than fray nerves. It can harm our health." (Amita Sharma)
Professor Alison Holman
KNX News 97.1 FM, Los Angeles, September 11, 2025

Alison Holman Discusses the Effects of Collective Trauma

"We have shown in our work that people who see/spend a lot of time engaging with the media around these collective traumas. The more they see, the more time they spend on the media, and the more graphic the media is that they see, the more likely they are to have higher levels of acute stress symptoms" (Emily Valdez, KNX News)
Christopher Cleary, DNP, PMHNP-BC, in a purple shirt and blue jacket standing with arms crossed on the terrace at the UC Irvine Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing.
Orange County Register, August 19, 2025

UCI expert answers questions about future of psychedelic medicine

"Chris Cleary is about to become a key player in psychedelic medicine. He’s a mental health nurse, with a doctorate in nursing, who has been tapped by UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing to lead the creation of new classes in the use of traditional psychedelics – psilocybin, MDMA and the like – as part of a regimen to treat depression, PTSD and other mental health woes." (Andre Mouchard)
Christopher Cleary, DNP, PMHNP-BC, in a purple shirt and blue jacket standing with arms crossed on the terrace at the UC Irvine Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing.
Orange County Register, August 18, 2025

With UCI and other programs, psychedelics soon could be as controversial as aspirin

"UC Irvine said last month that its Sue and Bill Gross School of Nursing is now one of two California schools (UC Davis is the other) planning to start teaching future mental health nurses how psychedelics can be used to treat depression, anxiety, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and addiction, among other maladies. The school also has tabbed assistant clinical professor Chris Cleary, a mental health nurse with a doctorate in nursing and an active practice in Los Alamitos, to lead the new program, which is likely to start over the next 24 months." (Andre Mouchard)