Dr. Megan McDowell is an assistant professor of nursing at Brenau University. She has over 20 years experience as a registered nurse and currently works in cardiac testing at Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS).
Dr. McDowell earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Brenau University in 2025, a Master of Science in Nursing Education (MSN) from Northern Illinois University in 2012, and she is a certified nurse educator (CNE). Her fields of expertise include nursing education, critical care, cardiology, and medical-surgical nursing.
Her commitment to community health extends beyond the clinical and academic settings through her active involvement with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s (CJCC) Task Force on Human Trafficking and HEAL Trafficking, where she works to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations through advocacy, education, and interprofessional collaboration. She is also an active volunteer with Forsyth County’s 4 Minute City Initiative. She was awarded the 40 Under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders Award in 2015 by the Illinois Nurses Foundation, won second place in the 2024 Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest, was nominated for a Daisy Award at NGHS in 2025, and has been published in multiple national nursing journals for her work in human trafficking.
Outside of her professional work, she enjoys spending time with her family and cheering for the Cubs.
Published Works
- McDowell, M. (2024) Dr. Hope Babette Tang Humanism in Healthcare Essay Contest: Second-Place Nursing Student Essay: The Cat. Academic Medicine 99(11):p 1236-1237, November 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000005812
- McDowell, M. (Host). (2024, December 2nd). The Cat. Academic Medicine Podcast. Academic Medicine Podcast: The Cat
- McDowell, M. (2025). Recognizing the Unseen: Empowering Nurses to Recognize and Respond to Victims of Human Trafficking. Georgian Nurse 48(4):p 24-28, July 2025. https://epubs.thinknurse.com/publication/?i=848320&p=25&view=issueViewer
- McDowell, M. (2025). Recognizing the Unseen: Empowering Nurses to Recognize and Respond to Victims of Human Trafficking. North Carolina Nursing Journal 114(4):p 18-22, Summer 2025 https://epubs.thinknurse.com/publication/?i=853284
- McDowell, M. (2025). Recognizing the Unseen: Empowering Nurses to Recognize and Respond to Victims of Human Trafficking. Washington Nurse Focus 58:p 10-13, Summer https://epubs.thinknurse.com/publication/?i=853323&p=16&view=issueViewer