Donna Bowen

Donna is a proud AU alumna who completed her Master of Nursing/Nurse Practitioner degree in 2016. As an Academic Coordinator and former NP Clinical Lead for the Nurse Practitioner Program, she brings together deep frontline expertise with a heartfelt commitment to shaping the next generation of confident, compassionate nurse practitioners.

In her clinical practice, Donna serves as a Nurse Practitioner in primary care, where she advocates for accessible, holistic, and person-centered health services. She is especially passionate about addiction medicine, ADHD, and improving primary care for people with developmental disabilities—areas where she works to ensure that every individual receives dignified, evidence based, and empowering care.

As an educator, Donna draws on real-world clinical experience to bring learning to life. She is dedicated to helping students bridge the gap between theory and practice, fostering not only clinical competence but also curiosity, confidence, and compassion. Her teaching has spanned health assessment, pharmacology, pathophysiology, adult health, and clinical skills development. She has supported nursing education across Canada—from Alberta to Ontario to Nova Scotia—contributing to the professional growth of practical nurses, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners.

---

Research interests

• Virtual health care delivery models in primary care.
• Health inequities for people with developmental disabilities related to access to primary care.
• Nurse practitioner leadership
• Clinical learning and skill development in online and simulation environments

---

Educational credentials

• Bachelor of Nursing Honors (2004), York University
• Master of Nursing: Nurse Practitioner (2016), Athabasca University

---

Professional affiliations

• Nova Scotia College of Nursing
• College of Nurses of Ontario
• College of Registered Nurses of Alberta
• Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing
• American Association of Nurse Practitioners