Mary Ann Nihart
“My passion is PMH nursing; it’s in my soul. The very center of my work has always been to further advance the ever-evolving role of the PMH nurse and help provide connections and new opportunities for the professionals who choose this complex specialty.”
Mary Ann Nihart, MA, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, PMHNP-BC, age 71, passed away on Thursday, December 11, 2025, after a 3-year battle with ovarian cancer.
Mary Ann was a transformative leader and educator whose dedication inspired countless professionals to pursue careers in advanced practice psychiatric nursing. Many in our community remember her as a mentor and a leader.
She started her nursing career in a surgical unit. It soon became clear that psychiatry was where she belonged. She transitioned to full time psychiatric-mental health nursing work and then earned master’s degrees in Community Mental Health and in Clinical Psychology.
Mary Ann was a member of AAPPN and received the 2003 AAPPN Nursing Excellence Award. She was also a speaker at the 2020 AAPPN Annual Conference, held virtually due to Covid.
Her career highlights include:
- Associate Director Patient Care Services/Nurse Executive at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Chair of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute
- President of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Board of Directors
- 2023 APNA Award for Distinguished Service
- 2018 John D. Chase Award for Executive Excellence in Health Care
- 2012 APNA Psychiatric Nurse of the Year Award
In January 2026, a public memorial will be held in Pacifica, California. An Interment of Ashes will take place at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Brighton, Iowa, at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the following organizations.
- UCSF Foundation, PO Box 45339, San Francisco, CA 94145, and note on the memo line “In memory of Mary Ann Nihart – 7028664.” Listing 7028664 will ensure the donation goes to Jocelyn Chapman BRCA Ovarian Cancer Research.
- The University of Iowa School of Nursing Make a Gift webpage. You can select the option “Make this a Memorial or Honorary Gift” to note that your gift is made in memory of Mary Ann Nihart.