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Patricia Pawlow, PhD, ACNP-BC

Assistant Practice Professor- Nursing Practice Leadership

Vice Chair, Department of Biobehavioral Health Sciences

Program Director AGACNP Program

Dr. Patricia Pawlow worked for many years as a nurse and nurse practitioner caring for seriously ill patients before becoming a full-time nurse educator. Her clinical specialties include cardiothoracic surgery and lung transplantation. As a nurse educator for over 20 years, she has taught and mentored many undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students. She is passionate about educating nurses who are informed with the latest evidence, are “practice ready”, and provide patient centered care that prioritizes the patient’s and family’s values and goals.

The Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program prepares students to assess patients, create a list of pertinent diagnoses and appropriate diagnostic work-up, and propose an evidenced based management plan. Students experience rigorous training that includes teamwork and immersive application of information in simulation and clinical scenarios.

At the advanced practice level, educational strategies need to focus less on student’s memorizing and more on processes that support understanding and application.

Education

  • PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 2020
  • MSN, University of Pennsylvania, 1994
  • BSN, Georgetown University, 1989

Social Justice

Dr. Pawlow contributes to Penn’s School of Nursing culture of equity and inclusion through hervarious roles and responsibilities. As the Biobehavioral Health Science Department Vice Chair, she contributes to thoughtful retention and promotion of faculty and staff who enrich our community with diverse perspectives. As Director of the AGACNP program, she incorporates an admission process that values a holistic review of applicants, and as a teacher, she provides a forum that welcomes the sharing of individuals’ unique knowledge and experience in a respectful manner.  

Teaching

As course director for the disease management AGACNP courses Dr. Pawlow begins each course discussing the differences between memorizing information for a test and understanding the physiologic changes associated with a disease and the impact on the patient’s response. Students learn quickly that the expectation is that they will not only demonstrate understanding of the material for the current class, but they also will apply this knowledge throughout the program.

Research

Dr. Pawlow’s clinical research focuses on early integration of palliative care for patients with serious illness. As a clinician and an educator, she has witnessed the challenges of providing for the supportive care needs of patients and their families as they live longer with serious illnesses. The growth of palliative care practice and research to meet the needs of patients with serious illness is inspiring. Yet, the slow integration in certain patient populations and the many misconceptions surrounding these services reflect work that still needs to be done.

Clinical Practice

Dr. Pawlow is a nurse scientist at ChristianaCare Health System. In this role she works with the nursing research and evidence- based practice team to ignite a spirit of inquiry among the nurses and advanced practice registered nurses and to promote high quality patient care that aligns with the latest evidence.

Opportunities to Learn and Collaborate at Penn Nursing

Diagnosing and managing acutely ill patients is a group sport that requires good communication skills, a knowledge of available resources, and an appreciation for the perspective of other clinicians. In “Principles of Adult Gerontology Acute Care” I, II, and III (NURS6700, NURS6710, and NURS6720), students learn the importance of teamwork by first taking a test alone and then taking the same test as part of a group of six or seven students. By working together, students negotiate options, critically think through the evidence, and work together as a team to determinethe best choices.

Selected Career Highlights

  • BHS Department Faculty Mentorship Award
  • Sigma Theta Tau- Xi Chapter Research Award
  • Hospice and Palliative Nurse Association- Inaugural HPNA Palliative Nurse Leadership Scholar
  • Outstanding Nurse Educator Award- awarded by Graduate Student Organization University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing

Accepting Mentees?

  • Yes

Accepting Fellows?

  • No

Selected Publications

  • Pawlow, P. C., Blumenthal, N. P., Christie, J. D., Matura, L. A., Aryal, S., & Ersek, M. (2021). The Supportive Care Needs of Primary Caregivers of Lung Transplant Candidates. Journal of pain and symptom management, S0885-3924(21)00330-4. Advance online publication. https://doi-org.proxy.library.upenn.edu/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.05.004

  • Pawlow, P. C., Blumenthal, N. P., Christie, J. D., Matura, L. A., Courtright, K. R., Aryal, S., & Ersek, M. (2020). The palliative care needs of lung transplant candidates. Clinical transplantation, 34(12), e14092. https://doi.org/10.1111/ctr.14092

  • Pawlow, P., Doherty, C.L., Blumenthal, N.P., Matura, L.A., Christie, J.D., & Ersek, M. (2020) An integrative review of the role of palliative care in lung transplantation. Progress in Transplantation, 2020:1526924820913512.

  • Pawlow, P., Dahlin, C., Doherty, C.L., & Ersek, M. (2018) The hospice and palliative care advanced practice registered nurse workforce: results of a national survey. Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, 20(4) 349-357.

  • Doherty, C.L., Pawlow, P., & Becker, D. (2018). The consensus model: What current and future NPs need to know. American Nurse Today, 13(1) 65-67.

  • Gargenier, D., Pawlow, P., and Doherty, C. (2016). Should palliative care NPs be required to have acute care training. The Journal of Nurse Practitioners,12(8) 514-515

  • Jangland, E., Becker, D., Börjesson, S., Doherty, C., Glimm, O., Griffith, P., Johansson, A.K., Juhlin, C., Pawlow, P. et al., (2014). The development of a Swedish nurse practitioner program - a request from clinicians and a process supported by US experience. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, 4(2) 38- 48.

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