Dave Vander Ark DNP, RN-BC is an assistant professor in the Kikhof College of Nursing. He has a BSN, MSN, and DNP, all from GVSU. He is a board certified in Psychiatric-Mental Health nursing and his MSN is in Psychiatric-Mental Health nursing with a focus on nursing education. He has worked in a variety of inpatient and outpatient psychiatric settings in West Michigan with clients of all ages. His primary areas of clinical interest are schizophrenia and therapeutic communication. From 2002-2018, Dr. Vander Ark taught in KCON part-time while working full-time at Mercy Health Saint Mary's in the leadership team for the Psychiatric Medical Unit and as a Professional Development Specialist. His areas of expertise are psychiatric, community, and medical-surgical nursing. His scholarly work has focused on integrating behavioral health into primary care, best practices for managing problem behaviors in persons with dementia, and the health impacts of adverse childhood experiences.