McAndrew named Joint Professor of Nursing Research for Froedtert Hospital and School of Nursing – WisPolitics

MILWAUKEE—UWM’s School of Nursing and Froedtert Hospital are pleased to announce that Natalie McAndrew has been named to the newly created position of Froedtert Hospital Joint Research Professorship. McAndrew will leverage her expertise to advance nursing science and practice to better meet the health care needs of southeastern Wisconsin.

McAndrew, an associate professor at the UWM School of Nursing, has served as a nurse scientist for the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network since 2018. Her longstanding commitment to Froedtert nursing and impressive research track record inspired Froedtert’s nursing leadership to create the post. A collaboration among Mary Ann Moon, former associate chief nursing officer at Froedtert Hospital; Paula Schmidt, vice president of Patient Care Services and chief nursing officer at Froedtert Hospital; and UWM nursing school Dean Kim Litwack led to a gift to the UWM Foundation that supports the position.

“I am honored to be given this new opportunity to further support the mission and vision of both of these well-respected organizations and expand my reach as a nurse scientist,” McAndrew said. “In this joint professor role, I will continue to build bridges between academia and health care systems to address the pressing health care needs of our communities.”

McAndrew will advance her vision of a collaborative, family-engaged approach for patients and their families navigating serious illness. Her 17 years of clinical experience as an ICU nurse and clinical nurse specialist at Froedtert Hospital moved her to develop a research program focused on family engagement in palliative care. Her research includes studying family caregiver experiences, nurse-promoted family engagement and end-of-life decisions in the ICU.

In addition, her work emphasizes teamwork and collaboration. She is a well-known mentor and coach, and she’s dedicated to helping nurses at Froedtert Hospital and graduate nursing students at UWM engage in certification, professional development and scientific writing, as well as high-impact research, quality improvement and evidence-based practice.

McAndrew is researching, developing and testing palliative-based interventions for family caregivers of patients with serious illnesses. She partners with national and international experts on testing and collaborates with caregivers and patients to create peer-to-peer mentorship opportunities that foster connection and reduce isolation. Her goal is to enhance support across care transitions, from diagnosis and treatment to recovery and survivorship. McAndrew aims to develop supportive care programs that can be integrated into health care systems and communities.

McAndrew has received a Cambia Health Foundation Sojourns Scholar Leadership Award and an Oncology Nursing Foundation Research Grant. Her work has been published in the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, the Journal of Family Nursing, and Psycho-Oncology.