Loretta Sernekos, PhD, CRNP

Loretta Sernekos, PhD, CRNP, is an Advanced Senior Lecturer at The University of Pennsylvania and the 2023 recipient of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Provost award, given to one lecturer University Wide in all of the Health Science departments at Penn (Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine) each year. Her prior experience as a nurse practitioner in outpatient primary care informs her thinking regarding psychiatric conditions and their relationship to the whole person’s physical and emotional health. Her appointment as a Senior Lecturer, teaching pharmacology and pathophysiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing allows her to stay current with evidence-based diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric conditions, as well as other medical conditions.

Dr. Sernekos treats adolescents (18 and older) and adults in her outpatient private practice. She is trained in a range of psychiatric conditions including, but not limited to, Mood disorders (such as Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder), Anxiety disorders (such as Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and ADHD. She has a special interest in the treatment of Anxiety and Mood disorders that arise from the experience of living with a chronic medical condition. Prior to becoming a Registered Nurse, she taught stress management and relaxation techniques to numerous patients suffering from chronic pelvic pain.

COLLEGE, DOCTORATE, NURSING SCHOOL, MASTER’S IN ADULT GERONTOLOGY PRIMARY CARE ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING, POST-MASTER’S IN PSYCHIATRIC-MENTAL HEALTH ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSING AND BOARD CERTIFICATION TO PRESCRIBE PSYCHIATRIC MEDICATIONS:

Loretta Sernekos, CRNP received her first Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics, graduating from Stockton University with Highest Honors. She then received a PhD in Political Science from Rutgers University. She later received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, graduating Summa Cum Laude, from Thomas Jefferson University. After working as a Registered Nurse in both acute and sub-acute physical rehabilitation facilities, Dr. Sernekos earned her Masters of Science Degree in Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Advanced Practice Nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. As she treated primary care patients as a nurse practitioner in an outpatient setting, Dr. Sernekos recognized that she needed training in psychiatry. She subsequently earned a Post-Master’s Certificate in Psychiatric-Mental Health Advanced Practice Nursing from the Johns Hopkins University. She maintains dual Board Certification as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and as an Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. She holds current licensure to prescribe psychiatric medications in Pennsylvania and is on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

Post-residency Appointments & Academic Achievements:

• Senior Lecturer at The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Certified Nurse Educator (CNE).
• Recipient of the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Provost Award in 2023
• Board Certified as Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
• Board Certified as Adult-Gerontology Primary Nurse Practitioner.
• Licensed to prescribe psychiatric medications.