Alaya Martin

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

ABOUT ALAYA MARTIN

I’m a board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) with a background in public health and a deep commitment to health justice. Before entering clinical practice, I worked on public health initiatives focused on health equity research, quality measurement, and supporting community-based organizations. My projects spanned maternal health and birth equity, intimate partner violence, mental health, and capacity-building for grassroots organizations.Today, my clinical work centers on providing affirming, patient-centered care to people living with mental health challenges. I’m especially passionate about supporting Black and brown individuals living with serious mental illnesses, and birthing people navigating the mental health impacts of reproductive transitions, from premenstrual dysphoric disorder all the way to menopause.Too often, the mental health care system assumes that patients are the ones who need to change. But at the heart of my work is a belief that for our patients to truly be well, we need lasting system transformation. This requires confronting the broader social and structural forces that shape mental health, including but not limited to racism, gender-based oppression, environmental injustices, exploitative labor conditions, and the school-to-prison pipeline. I’m committed to building systems that more effectively support both patients and providers through clinical education, workforce development, culturally responsive care, and policy reform. My long-term goal is to bridge public health and clinical practice through teaching, leadership, and advocacy.