Esker-D Ligon earned her BSN from the University of San Francisco, and her MSN from the
University of California San Francisco School of Nursing where her specialty areas of study
were Adult Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist. She holds national
certifications as an Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP) and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse
Practitioner (PMHNP). During her career as a nurse practitioner she has worked in various
settings including a nurse managed health center, private practice, and her current role in an
outpatient psychiatry practice affiliated with a large health maintenance organization. She has a
wealth of experience providing care for people who are multiply diagnosed with chronic
physical, mental health and substance use issues. Her experience also includes program
implementation and management, clinical teaching, authoring educational texts, and numerous
presentations on a variety of health related topics in professional and community settings.

Esker-D is committed to teaching and mentorship. She is a volunteer clinical professor in the
UCSF School of Nursing and has served as a mentor to undergraduate nursing students. In
2017 she published the book Dirty Sidewalks & Beautiful People. A Collection of Quotes &
Reflections from My Work in San Francisco’s Tenderloin. She is a member of the California
Association of Nurse Practitioners and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.