Ashkan Katirai, MSN, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner at Psychiatric Urgent Care on Sheppard Pratt’s campus in Towson, Maryland. Katirai is passionate about destigmatizing mental health and considers it a privilege to address patients’ psychiatric needs to help them become the best versions of themselves. He recognizes that discussing your mental health can sometimes be overwhelming, intimidating, scary, and vulnerable. Katirai prides himself on creating a nonjudgmental, trauma-informed, and safe environment for his patients.
Katirai joins Sheppard Pratt with deep expertise in mental health, having previously worked in inpatient psychiatry, partial hospitalization program/intensive outpatient program (PHP/IOP), and behavioral emergency rapid response team. His prior roles at University of Maryland Medical Center, VCU Medical Center, and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital have equipped him with the skills to manage complex and diverse psychiatric presentations. He also has the unique background of working as a registered nurse for several years in psychiatry before working as a nurse practitioner. Katirai was awarded the Board of Directors Scholarship for his contribution to psychiatric nursing at the American Psychiatric Nurses Association Conference. His extensive clinical experience allows him to approach patient care holistically and identify the most appropriate level of care to meet each patient’s needs.
Licensed as a PMHNP, Katirai earned his Master of Science in Nursing at Virginia Commonwealth University; his Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Drexel University; and his Bachelor of Science in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise at Virginia Tech.