Katerina Melino, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, associate clinical professor in the School of Nursing, has been named a 2026 Macy Faculty Scholar, a highly selective national honor awarded to just five recipients annually.
The Macy Faculty Scholar Program aims to develop the next generation of national leaders in nursing and medical education. Scholars receive mentorship, protected time, and national networking opportunities from the program, which is funded by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation — the only national foundation solely dedicated to improving health professions education.
Melino is an expert in the mental health care of older adults and adults with serious mental illness. Her program of research focuses on clinical and educational interventions to advance mental health equity, addressing the social and structural determinants of mental health in clinical practice.
“Kate’s selection as a Macy Faculty Scholar is a fitting recognition of her dedication to educating a new generation of health care leaders driven to improve mental health equity and access,” said Carol Dawson-Rose, PhD, RN, FAAN, dean of the UCSF School of Nursing. “She brings excellence and compassion to her teaching, embodying UCSF’s PRIDE values.”
As part of the program, Melino will create a novel, replicable interprofessional clinical training model for nurse practitioner and clinical pharmacy students to collaboratively assess and provide care to older adults affected by complex social, structural, and behavioral health factors.
“We are delighted to welcome Katerina Melino to the 2026 class of Macy Faculty Scholars,” said Peter Goodwin, interim president of the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation. “Melino’s accomplishments both as a respected educator and as a rigorous scholar make her ideally positioned to carry out her proposed project, which addresses the pressing need to care for an increasingly aging population — particularly those with chronic and mental health illness — in a truly interprofessional fashion.”
Andreea L. Seritan, MD, professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Neurology at the Weill Institute for Neurosciences within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UCSF School of Medicine, will serve as Melino’s mentor.
Melino will represent the University of California as the only UC faculty member selected for the 2026 cohort.