Jacquelyn McMillian-Bohler, assistant professor, will serve as our new Institute for Educational Excellence (IEE) director beginning September 1! She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role.

McMillian-Bohler joined the faculty at DUSON in December 2017 after completing a PhD in Nursing Education from Villanova University. She currently teaches Health Promotion and Perinatal Nursing in the ABSN and Master’s Degree programs. Passionate about students’ learning and helping others achieve excellence in teaching. McMillian-Bohler’s program of research is an application of her Master Teacher model. She has published and presented on topics related to excellence in teaching, racism and women’s health. Known for her “whatever it takes to help the students engage and learn” approach, McMillian-Bohler is laser focused on exploring and sharing creative and effective teaching strategies. Recently, she received a grant from the Learning Innovations to develop a web-based template to assist anyone to create a virtual escape room.

Her teaching philosophy is:
Teaching and learning should spark vision, hope, possibility, and personal transformation for students and educators. Educators must ensure an inviting environment for learners of all backgrounds, experiences, and learning needs. Nurse educators must model the integration of best practice, excellence, equity, growth, and compassion in all that they do. At the heart of it all, in order to achieve excellence in nursing education, we must leverage knowledge, experience, responsiveness, and authenticity in pursuit of building a confident, competent, and compassionate nursing workforce.

In addition to more than 15 years of full-time teaching experience in the classroom,  McMillian-Bohler has served as clinical faculty for midwifery and FNP, and WHNP students. She has also served as a global clinical instructor, working with students in China, Peru, and most recently the Philippines. She is the faculty advisor for Nursing Students of Color and Allies Coalition, has served on several DNP committees, collaborated with the CRNA program to develop am OB simulation, and served as the faculty liaison for two POD groups. She is also a member of the IEE Advisory Board and the DUSON Diversity Council and chairs the ABSN curriculum committee.

McMillian-Bohler has a sustained record of mentoring new faculty and precepting nurse educator and PhD students completing their teaching practicum. She served as the program director for the BSN, ABSN, RN-BSN, and Health Science program (although not simultaneously) at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. In her role as program director, she coached faculty, led annual program evaluations, revised curriculum, and participated in both SACCS and AACN reaffirmation processes. Certified as a nurse midwife in 1996, she has had the honor of serving families in South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. In 2002, she received the Alumni Award for Clinical Achievement from Vanderbilt University. In 2016, McMillian-Bohler received a March of Dimes Grant to start a Centering program at the University of Louisville. Currently, she is part of the “Dream Team” who received a $75,000 grant from the C. Felix Harvey Foundation to address outcomes inequities for black birthing person by providing training for black doulas.

McMillian-Bohler understands the power and challenges and necessity of creating an inclusive environment. Funded by the Center for Faculty Advancement, she and Brigit Carter, associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, developed and led several workshops designed to help students recognize and address microaggressions. In addition to addressing issue of diversity and inclusion in her teaching, she has been an invited panelist for several workshops in support of inclusive care models.