Dawn Bowker

Assistant Professor of the School of Nursing

Courses Taught Regularly

• Community Health
• Genomics
• Health Care Informatics

Year Started at Mercy College 2010

Education

• Ph.D in Nursing, New Mexico State University (2015)
• Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, University of Minnesota/PPM
• Masters in Arts in Nursing, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN
• Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN
• Associate Degree in Nursing, Lakewood College, White Bear Lake, MN

Certifications

• National Certification Corporation: Certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

Advice to Students
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I would encourage you to always look within for there lies strength, beauty, compassion and discernment. Believe in all that you can be!

Clinical/Field Experience

• Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner since 1987 in clinical practice. Clinical focus on adolescent health care, infertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), menopause, obstetrics and well woman care.
• First Assist in the operating room since 1987 with multiple GYN surgeons.
• Community Health Clinics: Nurse Practitioner. I have worked in multiple community health clinics with focused care on adolescents and in free clinics providing care for persons who are uninsured/under insured and/or homeless.

Research Interests

• HPV immunization update with vulnerable populations
• Health disparities
• Global health
• Community health
• Diversity
• Transcultural considerations
• Access and barriers to health care          

Professional Projects

• Co-author of Cultural Considerations of Global Health in the Yucatan, a 3 credit immersion course
• Development of an immersion preceptor option at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation offered twice yearly
• Development and implementation of Genomics, a 1 credit elective course
• Faculty advisor for Mercy College Association of Nursing Students (MCANS)
• Grant recipient and co-author: Post Partum and Post Operative Depression and Clinical Assessment Protocol.
• Co-development and implementation of clinical practice protocols on: PCOS, Infertility, clinical assessment of Post Partum and Post-Operative Depression.
• MAN Defense Presentation, Augsburg College: Theory, Research and Practice of a Comprehensive Teen Sexuality Education Program.

Recent Publications/Presentations

• Vulnerability & Perceptions of  HPV Immunization Uptake on Pine Ridge Reservation in Women Ages 18-25, New Mexico State University, Research Symposium LaCruces, NM, May 2013
• Nurse Practitioners: Valuable Role in the Interdicspilinary Health Care Team, April 2013
• Qualitative Outcomes of Dental Outreach: A Case Report 8th Annual Research Conference: Creating a Culture of Inquiry, Des Moines, IA, April 2013
• Mitakuye Oyasin: A Student's Journey IUGO Student Leadership Conference, Lafayette, IA, March 2013
• Global Health Collaboration Global Health Conference, Des Moines, IA, Nov 2012
• Ins and Outs of Journal Publication Mercy Evidence Based Practice and Research Conference (CEU presentation), Aug 2012
• You’re Not the Medicine Man!, Des Moines University Cultural Conference, Aug 2012
• The Importance of Nontraditional Clinical Sites: A Mutual Benefit for Students and the Community
  2012 Upper Midwest Civic Engagement Summit, St. Paul, Minnesota, June 2012
• A Cultural Anthropological Perspective of the Oglala Lakota People at Pine Ridge, Mercy Evidence Based Practice and Research Conference (CEU presentation), Feb 2012
• Understanding Health Care Practices and Culturally Congruent Care for the Oglala Lakota People at Pine Ridge, Mercy Evidence Based Practice and Research Conference (CEU presentation), Feb 2012
• Call to Action in Support of Nurses and the Future of Nursing with Mercy College Association of Nursing Students, Round Table Discussion with Governor Branstad, Dec 2011
• Poster Presentation: Dental Care for the Homeless.
  Mercy Hospital 6th Annual Year in Review of Evidence Based Practice and Research Conference, Dec 2011
• Poster Presentation: Advocacy for the Homeless and Recently Housed: A Case Study, Mercy Hospital 6th Annual Year in Review of Evidence Based Practice and Research Conference, Dec 2011
• Poster Presentation: The Importance of Nontraditional Clinical Sites, Mercy Hospital 6th Annual Year in Review of Evidence Based Practice and Research Conference, Dec 2011
• Dental Care for the Homeless and Recently Housed,
  Mercy Evidence Based Practice and Research Conference (CEU presentation), Oct 2011
• Advocacy for the Homeless and Recently Housed: A Case Study, Cultural Fair, Mercy College of Health Sciences, Oct 2011
• Interdisciplinary Approach to Health Care for the Homeless, Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny IA, Sept 2011
• Advocacy for the Homeless and Recently Housed: A Case Study Mercy Evidence Based Practice and Research Conference (CEU presentation), Sept 2011
• The Cummins Model of Language Acquisition for the Multilingual Classroom. Cummins Model Presentation: Making the Most of Instructional Time with English Language Learners. Mercy College of Health Sciences (CEU presentation), June 2011
• Cummins Model Presentation: Making the Most of Instructional Time with English Language Learners, Conference Moderator Mercy College of Health Sciences (CEU presentation), June 2011
• The Patient Experience: From a Diverse Cultural Perspective, Moderator of Panel Presentation (4 Events) DREAM Team, Mercy Hospital, Des Moines, IA, May/June 2011
• Pharmacology and Women’s Health, Grandview University Pharmacology, Des Moines, IA, April 2011
• Poster Presentation: Nursing in the Community, Nurses Week Nursing Fair,  Mercy Hospital, Des Moines, IA Recipient “Excellence Award”, May 2011
• Poster Presentation: “Lovingly Strict” A Mixed Method Study on the Meaning of Compassion as Perceived by Faculty and Students in a Small Health Science College, Sigma Theta Tau International, Zeta Chi Chapter Annual Conference, Des Moines, IA, March 2011
• Poster Presentation: Dental Care for the Homeless
  Sigma Theta Tau Zeta Chi Conference, March 2011

Professional Memberships

• American Nurses Association (ANA)
• National League for Nurses (NLN)
• National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH)
• Faculty Research Group, MCHS

Community Service Involvement

I am very active in my church and in faith-based community service. I am passionate about outreach and advocacy for the homeless, adolescent sexuality, issues related to women’s health and transcultural nursing.

Personal History

I have had a diverse career in nursing and am excited about contributing to the nursing foundation for the students at MCHS. I hope you have as much pride and fulfillment in your nursing career as I have had in mine. I relocated to Des Moines from a suburb of St Paul in July, 2010. I love spending time with my family, my husband Wayne and our three daughters, Lauren, Lisa and Grace. I enjoy family walks with our dog, reading and traveling.