<h2>Lt. Col. Marceline Robinson - '75 BS Nursing, '83 MS Nursing</h2><h3>Associate Chief Nurse of Mental Health, St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center - Jefferson Barracks Division</h3><p>“All of the professors and instructors provided me with the theoretical background and the scientifi c foundation I needed to succeed in mental health care,” said Robinson. “Professor Emerita Doris Bell and Associate Dean and Professor Mary Ann Boyd were particularly instrumental in preparing me for my role as a nurse.”</p><p><img height="278" border="0" width="203" alt="photo of robinson" src="/id0904f67a805469a2" align="left" />After graduation, Robinson found her niche in psychiatric nursing. She chose mental health as an area to focus on because “patients get better.”</p><p>“Continued research and medical advances have made the future look brighter for individuals living with mental illnesses,” she said.</p><p>Robinson is the associate chief nurse of mental health at the St. Louis Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center—Jefferson Barracks Division. She has been employed at the VA for more than 20 years.</p><p>Currently training in Wisconsin, the 28-year veteran nurse and army reservist in the U.S. Army Nurse Corp. will venture into the Middle East later this year.</p><p>While Robinson is no stranger to traveling—having gone to Germany twice as part of her reservist training—this will be the psychiatric nurse’s first time in a war zone. The strength, support and encouragement of her family, friends and VA coworkers have prepared her for the upcoming mission.</p><p><a href="/id0904f67a8056f78e">Back to School of Nursing Alumni Profiles</a></p>