Dr. Akeya Harrold is an ANCC Board Certified Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in Counseling and Psychological Services for Medical University of South Carolina students, a department in the Division of Education Innovations and Student Life. She is also a faculty member in the College of Nursing and works with nurse practitioner residents as a part of the PARTNER Grant, which provides mental health services for patients in rural areas using telehealth services.
Dr. Harrold earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of South Carolina Upstate, Master of Science in Nursing from the Medical University of South Carolina, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice also from the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Harrold served as a nurse practitioner for the Department of Mental Health for South Carolina’s underserved populations and with Veterans at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC. In addition to these roles she has served in leadership positions as Director of Nursing for the Berkley Community Mental Health Center and she directed the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center.
Dr. Harrold received the SAMHSA/ANA Minority Fellowship Award to complete doctoral studies and was awarded the Infrastructure Grant for expansion of the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency through the Office of Academic Affiliations Veterans Affairs.
Dr. Harrold is member of the MUSC Equity, Diversity, and Engagement Advisory Committee, SAMHSA/ANA Minority Fellowship Alumni Working Group, Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society, the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, and the American Nurses Association. Her interests include: eliminating mental health stigma, promoting mental wellness, and transitioning mental health nurse practitioner students into confident and competent clinicians through residency. Dr. Harrold also enjoys volunteering with her dog, Atlas, as a part of the Medical University of South Carolina’s Therapy Dog Program.