​​​​​​For nearly a decade, the Illinois Nurses Foundation has honored young nurse leaders throughout the state with 40 under 40 Emerging Nurse Leaders ​Awards. Nurses are nominated by peers and chosen for their passion, skill and commitment to advancing health care. Two DePaul University School of Nursing faculty members made this year’s list for demonstrating their excellence in the nursing profession.

​​​​Mary Bowman​​

Bowman is an assistant professor in the College of Science and Health and a nurse practitioner in sexual and reproductive health, particularly in queer and trans communities. Bowman was part of the inaugural nurse practitioner team at Chicago Women’s Health Center, became the first clinical director of sexual and reproductive health at Howard Brown Health and the first program director of gender-affirming hormone therapy at Planned Parenthood of Illinois.

“The education nurses and nurse practitioners provide change the courses of people's lives,” Bowman says.

Bowman became interested in teaching after graduation, when they applied for a nursing professor position. 

“This process put the idea in my head and the hunger in my belly to be a nurse educator,” Bowman explains. “It is my intention to support the creation of future nurses who want to radically change the world, most especially health care provision.”​

Amanda Dirnberger​

Dirnberger began her career as a registered nurse in acute care. While working as a neurosurgery bedside nurse at Mayo Clinic, she noticed that many patients’ conditions were stemming from social determinants of health and lifestyle. This inspired her to become a community health nurse practitioner. As a nurse practitioner, she has provided preventive care for populations at risk for health inequities, including those experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities and people who are immigrants or refugees. 

“A motivator to go into nursing was the experience of my siblings, both of whom have cerebral palsy,” Dirnberger says. “I grew up seeing how the health care system can be difficult to access for different patient populations.”

At DePaul, she teaches community health and health promotion nursing, tying in experiences from her nursing practice to bridge the gap between the classroom and experience. 

​“The courses I teach focus heavily on how social determinants of health have an impact on patients’ health outcomes and how we as nurses can engage with them,” Dirnberger says. “We also look at how patients interact with their health care as individuals, families and communities. That ties closely into what I do as a nurse practitioner.”

Dirnberger also helps to run the Community-based Service Learning (CbSL) program within the Masters Entry Nursing Practice (MENP) program. MENP students are engaged in community-based service learning by working with community organizations.

A celebration for the awards is planned for Sept. 19, 2024. Learn more about the DePaul University School of Nursing online. ​