Clinical Assistant Professor
Department
Department of Health Behavior and Clinical Sciences
Contact
University of Michigan School of Nursing
400 North Ingalls Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5482
Interests
Advanced heart failure and transplant care
Heart failure patient self-care and education
Mental health and palliative care strategies
Adaptive leadership and healthcare system resilience
Clinical mentorship and quality improvement
Dr. Rachel Bowers is a systems-focused clinician, educator, and first-generation scholar. Her healthcare career spans the full continuum of care, from foundational clinical roles to high-acuity bedside nursing and doctoral-level advanced practice. This progression has shaped a deep understanding of the clinical microsystems and broader healthcare systems that influence patient outcomes and organizational resilience in complex care environments.
Since 2016, she has served as an architect in the development and expansion of the Advanced Practice Provider (APP) model within the outpatient Advanced Heart Failure Clinic at Michigan Medicine. Board-certified as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP-BC) with Heart Failure certification (HF-Cert), her clinical expertise centers on advanced cardiovascular disease management. She bridges inpatient and outpatient care through telemanagement and multidisciplinary care models, improving outcomes for high-acuity populations while contributing to system-level transformation in advanced heart failure care delivery.
Teaching
Dr. Rachel Bowers is a dedicated clinician-educator whose teaching philosophy translates over a decade of advanced practice experience into transformational mentorship. Her pedagogical approach spans the full continuum of nursing education, guiding learners from undergraduate foundations to graduate-level teaching in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs. She is committed to cultivating passionate providers who maintain a relentless clinical curiosity and a dedication to placing patients at the center of evidence-based practice. Her teaching emphasizes advanced clinical reasoning, systems-level thinking, and the application of evidence-based practice in complex healthcare environments, preparing students for high-acuity advanced practice roles. She strives to help learners discover unrecognized strengths within themselves, fostering the resilience and systems-level thinking necessary to become the next generation of healthcare leaders and innovators.
Affiliations/Service
Member, American Association of Heart Failure Nurses, 2013-present
Member, American College of Cardiology, 2020-present
Member, Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners, 2022-present
Member, Heart Failure Society of America, 2022-present
Member, American Nurses Association, 2025-present
Member, American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 2026-present
Member, American Heart Association, 2026-present
Notable Awards/Honors
Nursing Excellence Award, Madonna University, 2013
Josephine M. Sana Award for Excellence in Med-Surg Nursing, University of Michigan, 2015
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 2015 & 2022
Frankel CVC Directors Award of Excellence, HF Telemanagement Team, Ann Arbor, MI
Preceptor of the Year - Doctor of Nursing Practice Program, University of Michigan 2024-2025
Education
DNP, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2022
MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2015
Certificate in Nursing Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 2015
BSN, Madonna University, Livonia, MI 2012
Publications Highlights
Garber, R., Bowers, R., & Franklin, M. (2026). Enhancing heart failure self-care through structured teach-back patient education [Poster presentation]. University of Michigan School of Nursing, Michigan Medicine Poster Day.
Berman, P., Bowers, R., & Franklin, M. (2025). Palliative care education for patients with heart failure [Poster presentation]. University of Michigan School of Nursing, Michigan Medicine Poster Day.
Bijimine, S., Bowers, R., & Franklin, M. (2024). Improving provider medication optimization in patients with heart failure [Poster presentation]. University of Michigan School of Nursing, Michigan Medicine Poster Day.
Wood, R., Jones, L. M., Konerman, M., Hughes, S., & Arslanian-Engoren, C. (2022). Implementing a virtual nurse practitioner–led educational support group to enhance self-care in adult heart failure patients [Poster presentation]. MICNP Annual Conference.
Wood, R., Popovic, C., Combs, P., & Casida, J. M. (2017). Mechanical circulatory support nurse practitioners’ work intensity, role stress, and burnout. ASAIO Journal, 63(3), 50.