Connell School’s Dwyer Named Macy Faculty Scholar

BY KATHLEEN SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER

Connell School of Nursing Associate Professor Andrew Dwyer, a board-certified family nurse practitioner whose research addresses inequities in genomic health care, has been chosen as a Macy Faculty Scholar by the Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation.

The Macy Faculty Scholars program identifies and nurtures promising educators in medicine and nursing. Scholars participate in a two-year program where they implement an educational scholarly project of their own design at their institution and participate in career development activities. Scholars become part of the Macy Faculty Scholars network and receive mentoring and career advice from a National Advisory Committee and past Macy Faculty Scholars. Dwyer is one of only two nurses selected in the 2023 cohort, which draws applicants from a nation-wide pool.

“I’m really honored to have been selected as a Macy Faculty Scholar,” said Dwyer. “The Macy Foundation is unique because it is focused on capacity-building through education. It enables educators to turn their teaching into scholarship to really advance the field.

“As a clinician, you impact the lives, families, and communities you directly serve. But as a faculty member, you’re reaching hundreds of students, thousands over the lifespan of your career, who are each going to take care of thousands of people a year. If you spin that out, you are potentially impacting millions of people by shaping the training and educational experience of those who come through the Connell School of Nursing.”

Dwyer’s area of expertise is in genomics, which he says is rightfully credited with fueling precision health care: giving a deeper understanding of health and illness, speeding diagnoses, and developing tailored treatments. But there are a number of challenges and problems in the genomics era, including ethical, legal, and social implications.

“Not all populations have benefitted equally from the discoveries of genomics. My feeling is that nurses can play a key role in bridging disparities in genomic health care.”

Dwyer’s project is to develop, implement, and evaluate novel approaches to teaching genomic competencies to advanced practices nurses. The project will use simulations—structured patient encounters—where students undergo pre-learning, then interact with the patient, and finally undergo a debriefing to help them consolidate their learning and develop skills.

“This is intended to improve confidence, knowledge, and comfort for the providers, improve the quality of care they deliver, and decrease errors,” said Dwyer, who added that to his knowledge, there are no genomic simulations currently being used in the United States.

“The aim is to develop and validate these simulations and then disseminate