Mara Clawson DNP-FNP 2023
Mara Clawson is completing her DNP degree with a Family Nurse Practitioner specialization in May 2023. She is the recipient of the 2023 DNP award for Outstanding Clinical Project.
This special recognition is given by the College of Nursing Faculty to a DNP student who shows exceptional abilities in quality improvement benefitting clients and families, demonstrates confidence and competence in practice, and demonstrates evidence of leadership. The recipient of this award has completed an exceptional DNP clinical project.
Mara shared this inspirational account of her nursing journey:
About Mara
I grew up in Denver, CO and went to college at Brigham Young University, where I graduated with a Bachelor of Nursing Science. During my time in undergrad, I took off 18 months to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (more on this later). After graduating, I moved with my husband to South Africa, where I worked in one of the world’s busiest emergency departments. A few years later, we returned as the COVID pandemic was sweeping the earth. I spent some time doing travel nursing in NYC before taking a critical care position in Chicago. Two years ago, we moved to Boston and I switched career paths to work in public health with patients who experience homelessness. Each step of the journey thus far was been incredibly rewarding.
What inspired you to become a nurse/decide to earn a DNP?
When I turned 19, I decided to volunteer as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My 18 months as a missionary opened my eyes to the extraordinary pain and suffering that comes with the human experience, but which can be dramatically worse for people experiencing disadvantages like poverty, abuse, hunger, and disease. As a missionary, people trusted me, and I felt a sense of purpose in collaborating to heal broken hearts and broken homes. I knew that healing needed to become part of my life trajectory. Nursing seemed like the best way to, for the rest of my life, maintain my missionary mindset of caring for people in need.
Tell us about your experience as a UMass Amherst Nursing student.
As a student at UMass, I have had the great privilege of working with wonderful professors and colleagues who encouraged me along this journey. My first semester, I took courses from Dr. Choi and Dr. Poudel Tandukar (whose courses are still my favorites from the entire program). Incredibly, I ended up lucky enough to have them both as mentors for my doctoral project. It was so special to begin and end my degree with them. I also loved getting to know my colleagues as we progressed through each year together. I feel so grateful to have shared this experience with them.
What is your favorite quote or philosophy?
I love the verse from the hymn “Lord, I Would Follow Thee”:
I would be my brother’s keeper;
I would learn the healer’s art.
To the wounded and the weary
I would show a gentle heart.
And a quote from President Henry B. Eyring: When you meet someone, treat them as if they were in serious trouble, and you will be right more than half the time.
These two philosophies are a guiding light for me -- both in my day-to-day interactions and in my professional life. Imagine what a better place the world would be if we all looked after each other!
Please describe the clinical project for which you won the Outstanding Clinical Project award:
My project was entitled "Outcomes of Directly Observed Therapy in People Living with HIV who Experience Homelessness and Substance Use Disorder".
I chose this project because I hoped to show that HIV directly observed therapy programs may be a radical solution to achieve viral suppression in the patient demographic described in the paper. I hope to spread the paper broadly, and I hope that it might be used as a building block for future research and for rolling out similar programs in similar settings. Receiving an award like this gives it that much more validation and will hopefully help move the needle when folks are deciding to read and implement its findings.
What are your hopes and plans for the future?
I have taken a position as an FNP at a family practice office in Massachusetts where I did my clinical hours for the last 18 months. It has been such a wonderful experience working there, and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to join the team. I am also a brand new mom and utterly thrilled by the adventure of motherhood. Being a mom has brought me more joy than any professional accolades ever could, but to have the two major events (a baby and graduation… with an award!) coincide is quite the dopamine rush.