Alumni – GW Nursing Magazine

In honor of her legacy as a preeminent nurse practitioner and leader, the George Washington University recently named Mary-Michael Brown one of its 73 Monumental Alumni as part of its Bicentennial celebration.

After many years as a clinical nurse, Mary-Michael Brown, RN, D.N.P., utilizes her vast knowledge to improve nursing practices. As vice president of nursing practice innovation for MedStar Health, Dr. Brown creates and disseminates evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and provides oversight for nursing practice across MedStar Health. She also leads multiple system initiatives, including chairing the Nursing Practice Innovation Committee and serving as the executive sponsor for the Nursing Peer Review Committee, Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Committee, and Nursing Quality and Safety Council. In 2011, Dr. Brown was honored with The Martha E. Brill New Researchers Award from the American Nurses’ Foundation. 

Dr. Brown earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Georgetown University, her Master of Science degree from Boston College School of Nursing, and her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the George Washington University. She was the recipient of the 2011 George Washington University Alumni Award for the School of Nursing and is the chair of the GW School of Nursing Dean’s Advisory Council. As an adjunct faculty member in the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, Dr. Brown co-facilitates the course, Translating Research into Practice. She serves as a secondary advisor for Doctor of Nursing Practice students’ final scholarly projects.

Dr. Brown is a member of the American Organization of Nurse Leaders, Sigma Theta Tau International (Phi Epsilon chapter), the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, and the Emergency Nurses Association.

“Earning a D.N.P. degree from GW School of Nursing helped me appreciate that there are no limits on what I can contribute to the profession of nursing,” said Dr. Brown. “Giving back to the School of Nursing and advancing its mission is an honor and privilege.”

As a Monumental Alumna, Dr. Brown is in rare company with GW’s most prestigious alumni, including Colin Powell, Ted and Mark Lerner, Tammy Duckworth, Elizabeth Warren and Kerri Washington.

For more on the GW Bicentennial Monumental Alumni, visit: https://bicentennial.gwu.edu/monumental-alumni

Below is an excerpt from the blog “Rhonda’s GW Adventure,” written by Rhonda Krigbaum, BSN ’18, about a recent GW Nursing international clinical trip.

Uganda has five levels of health care, and we were fortunate to see a level-four health center in the Mukono District. Level one starts out with the Village Health Teams (VHTs) that we worked with throughout the week.

I will never forget walking up to the health clinic and seeing so many moms and children waiting for immunizations. I don’t think I have ever seen so many people waiting for vaccinations in the United States, because typically immunizations are part of regular doctor appointments, but this health center is full on Tuesdays, immunization day. It was encouraging to see so many people eager to get vaccinated, and they seemed to understand the importance of immunizations.

At the clinic they had a laboratory, general appointment rooms, a mental health room, a dentist, a maternity ward, an AIDS ward, a tuberculosis (TB) ward and an OR. They require everyone to take off their shoes in the OR waiting room because wearing shoes is thought to bring in more contamination than a bare foot.

During the trip, we also learned a lot about how common health issues are addressed, for example, how cookstoves are made out of a combination of ant hill mud, grass, water and banana stalks. Cookstoves filter the smoke out of the room to reduce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma exacerbation.

We were also educated on sleeping with mosquito nets, maintaining immunizations, boiling all water even if from a clean water source, prenatal care, family planning and AIDS/STD prevention, newborn care, vaccinations and healthy foods to eat.

My favorite part of this trip was the blood pressure (BP) screenings we did in several different villages. The average life expectancy in Uganda is 58 years, and the most common cause of death from a chronic condition is cardiovascular disease. Hypertension (elevated blood pressure for those not familiar with medical lingo) is known as a silent killer because you can have high BP for years and not have any symptoms. Ugandans tend to have very high blood pressure (high-salt diet, stress, genetics, etc.). Out of all of the screenings I provided, I think only two people had “normal” blood pressure. About two-thirds of all the villagers I screened had never had their blood pressure taken before and all needed lifestyle education on ways to lower their BP. We made a BP education sheet that was translated into the local language, Luganda, and provided to every person who was screened.

We really got to spread our nursing education and work with the VHTs to train them how to take an accurate BP reading so they can continue to screen and educate their community long after we leave.

I am so proud of this nurse-driven trip and can’t believe how lucky I am to have shared my knowledge and experience on a global scale.

by RHONDA KRIGBAUM

Tag: Alumni

Mary-Michael Brown Named One of GW’s “Bicentennial Monumental Alumni”

A Week in Uganda