The Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing announced the appointment of Dr. Barbara Posmontier as the inaugural Evelyn Lauder Endowed Chair in Psychiatric Mental Health and Professor. In this role, she will be Hunter’s lead expert and senior faculty member in Psychiatric-Mental Health advanced Nursing practice.
The Evelyn Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing provides advanced clinical training and graduate education for the next generation of healthcare leaders. The program was established in 2022 through a generous donation from Leonard A. Lauder in honor of his late wife, Evelyn Lauder, a distinguished alumna of Hunter College High School and Hunter College, to equip nurses for modern practice, provide direct employment pathways, and promote health equity in New York City.
“Dr. Posmontier’s extensive experience in psychiatric mental health care, especially her commitment to health equity and work with underserved populations, is a tremendous asset to our program,” said Dr. Ann Marie P. Mauro, Joan Hansen Grabe Dean of the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing. “We are excited to welcome her to the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing. Her leadership and expertise will greatly benefit our students and faculty, elevate the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing and Hunter College as a whole, and help shape the future of nursing education and mental health care.”
Dr. Posmontier joins Hunter from Thomas Jefferson University, where she spent the past four years as a professor and director of the PhD in Nursing program. With more than 25 years of clinical expertise as a nurse midwife and psychiatric nurse practitioner, Dr. Posmontier’s groundbreaking work in perinatal mental health has significantly advanced care for pregnant and postpartum women.
Her research, supported by the National Institute of Mental Health and international collaborations, has demonstrated the efficacy of integrating evidence-based psychotherapy into primary care practices, addressing critical gaps in mental health services for women with perinatal mental-health challenges. She has received TJU’s prestigious Gloria Donnelly Mentorship Award and was honored as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
“Stepping into the role of the Evelyn Lauder Endowed Chair in Psychiatric Mental Health is a profound privilege,” said Dr. Posmontier. “I am eager to join the Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, where I will work alongside dedicated colleagues to enhance mental health care and support the next generation of nurse practitioners. Together, we will strive to make a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of communities throughout New York City.”
Dr. Posmontier founded Mother Baby Connections at Drexel University, an evidence-based perinatal mental health intensive outpatient program. There are just 27 perinatal intensive outpatient programs in the nation, and this is the only nurse-led, interdisciplinary initiative embedded in an academic setting that specifically serves low-income minority women and their infants.
Under Dr. Posmontier’s leadership, this work has successfully reduced symptoms and improved functional independence for mothers facing serious perinatal mental health challenges, while also training the next generation of providers.
Dr. Posmontier earned her BSN from Thomas Jefferson University, and completed her MSN, Post-Master’s certificate in Nurse Midwifery, PhD, and post-doctoral research fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
