Elaine Level DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Kansas School of Nursing

Elaine Level, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC, has a passion for making sure people in rural and underserved areas have access to quality mental health services. Level, who earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of Kansas School of Nursing in 2025, is a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner committed to providing lifelong, recovery-focused care in south central Kansas and surrounding rural communities.

“Growing up in a rural Kansas town, I witnessed firsthand how silence around mental illness only deepened suffering,” Level said. “Rural communities face the same mental health challenges as urban areas: depression, anxiety, domestic violence and substance use. In fact, rural Kansans face higher rates of depression, suicide and overdose deaths.”

Level said care remains limited due to geographic isolation, a critical shortage of mental health professionals and deep-seated stigma surrounding mental illness. She added that rural families dealing with mental health issues are often unsupported in their communities.

“Those experiences stayed with me and fueled my determination to bring mental healthcare closer to home for rural Kansans,” Level said.

Level grew up in Tonganoxie, Kansas. She earned an undergraduate degree in journalism at KU but then decided to follow her true passion and enrolled at the KU School of Nursing. She worked as a registered nurse in Wichita before returning to the KU School of Nursing to earn her DNP.

“I wanted to be able to offer a comprehensive range of care to my patients,” Level said. “Earning a DNP represents the pinnacle of clinical nursing education, and the KU School of Nursing is nationally recognized for excellence in graduate preparation.”

Level said getting her DNP was truly a transformative experience that enhanced both her clinical expertise and ability to create meaningful change across the rural healthcare landscape.

“I gained the tools to assess complex psychiatric needs and act as an advocate for patients and communities,” Level said. “This combination of clinical expertise and strategic vision ensures that we not only meet today’s patient needs in rural Kansas but also build replicable, resilient care models for the communities we serve.”

In addition to maintaining an active clinical practice in south central Kansas, Level was appointed as a clinical assistant professor at the KU School of Nursing in 2025. She teaches graduate courses in psychopathology, psychopharmacology and psychotherapy and collaborates with community partners to apply evidence-based practices in real-world settings. Level is embracing this new dual role.

“It enables me to continue providing patient care while mentoring the next generation of nurses and nurse practitioners,” she said. “I can combine hands-on practice with teaching and scholarship to further increase access to high-quality mental healthcare in rural Kansas.”