A science professor, plus two important mentors, proved invaluable in guiding her towards a career in wound care nursing that led to leadership roles, including clinical affairs.
By Jeffery Oddo
Dawn Shepherd will readily tell you her career path was anything but linear. “Growing up, my big goal was to be a forest ranger,” she recalled with some laughter.
But underneath that youthful career possibility was something that endured: she truly wanted to do something where she could help or serve.
The journey would not be fast, linear or conventional.
School on the back burner
After a year in college, she put her studies on pause for marriage and motherhood. Dawn said, “I gravitated toward fashion because I liked it. I could do it while raising my kids, and it provided me with sales and business knowledge.”
While Dawn enjoyed the work, it was just not sustainable with a young family. Nearly a decade since her freshman year in college, she still vividly remembered the encouraging words from her freshman year science class professor, Dr. DeAngeles. “She told me I had a natural aptitude for science and I should consider some field where science played a role,” she recalled.
It was those inspiring words of encouragement that motivated Dawn to resume her college studies. When returning to school, kinesiology seemed like a good choice, perhaps working in sports medicine. But remembering her freshman year science professor, she decided to set her sights on nursing.
Dawn at nursing school (left) and her graduation (right)
Juggling kids and classes
It was not easy juggling classes, studying and two children. Dawn said, “I never missed any of my children’s school activities or sporting events. I had one eye on them and the other in my nursing textbooks!”
(left): Dawn with son Shane and daughter Lauren (right): Dawn at her nursing school graduation ceremony
Dawn considered different specialties as she was completing her nursing studies. She chose home care nursing because it allowed her flexibility around her kids’ schedules. Continuing her unconventional path, Dawn went directly into home care nursing without first spending time working in a hospital or health care setting. “I was definitely an outlier,” she said.
A pivotal moment
One of her first home care clients was a wound care patient. It was a revelation to Dawn. “That case was so fascinating because I saw up-close what amazing things the body could do to recover and heal,” she said. It also convinced her to specialize in wound and ostomy care nursing. In the early 2000’s, it was still a relatively small nursing specialization, with less than 2,000 wound care nurses across the country.
Guidance from mentors
The science on wound care was still emerging, and Dawn heavily relied on nursing mentors to help her learn about wound care and effectively treat patients. Two colleagues, Jackie, a wound care nurse, and Dolores, DON, were instrumental in guiding her. She said, “Jackie was a hands-on teacher and mentor, I learned so much. I aspired to be like her. So I did and quickly obtained my certifications.” Jackie remains a close colleague.
Dolores saw potential in Dawn’s nursing skills. “Her encouragement and support is what allowed me to be successful in home care without the traditional two years of hospital experience.”
(left) and (right): Dawn with Jackie Vaughn, who she considers one of her most important and impactful mentors.
Wound care nursing is an intense profession. But for Dawn, the medical science dimension is just part of the treatment equation. She is guided by a favorite saying in the profession: “It’s not just about the hole in the patient, but the whole patient.”
Dawn never considered patients as “cases,” but as people. “You are dealing with people facing enormous and often debilitating wound complications. They suffer, their families suffer. You never forget why you are in this profession. I still remember those patients.”
A new, next-step in her career
In 2018, Dawn took her wound care nursing career in a slightly different direction when she decided to leave the bedside and move into the industry working with medical devices. Her experience as a Key Opinion Leader for wound care companies, including KCI and 3M’s Medical business continues to support her success. The work involved speaking to healthcare practitioners involved in treating wound care patients, as well as sharing information on new treatment therapies and best practices.
That work was particularly rewarding because she could directly educate doctors and nurses on new treatments that could produce better patient outcomes. While treating patients directly was incredibly fulfilling, she said, “in this type of work I could reach more people than just the four walls of my hospital.”
Dawn joined ETS in July 2023 as Director of Clinical Affairs and has played an important role in educating the medical community about Mirragen, the company’s line of innovative bioactive glass wound care technology that supports wound healing. “Mirragen is so innovative, it is going to change the way serious wounds are treated,” she said.
Dawn (second from left) with ETS colleagues at a wound care conference in 2024.
Through her many years as a wound care nurse, Dawn saw the devastating setbacks and complications that chronic wounds had on patients. She said, “Patients could lose limbs, be permanently incapacitated or face life-threatening complications. They recluse themselves away from social situations and often find themselves struggling to maintain work. “Mirragen is not just a game-changer, it can be a life-changer,” she says.
With ETS colleagues, talking to healthcare providers at the 2024 Diabetic Foot Conference
Empowering and inspiring the next generation of female scientists
As Dawn looks back on her career path, she fondly recalls her college science teacher and the profound impacts her words had on her. As International Day of Girls & Women in Science is observed, she urges parents to use the same vocabulary of encouragement when it comes to raising their daughters. “Allow your daughters to express and explore their interests, even if those interests aren’t necessarily yours,” she advices.
(left): even when she’s relaxing, science is never far from Dawn’s mind- here she is exploring the science of physics and aerodynamics of skydiving; (right) beach time with her dog Bentley
Dawn believes that the best way to get girls interested in science is to nurture their curiosity. Her advice to parents? If their daughter has an aptitude for science to just go for it. “As someone who has been told that very thing, there is nothing more powerful to hear.”
Dawn heard encouragement from her parents throughout her life and she conveys that to her two children and five grandkids. “My mom and dad always told me ‘find what brings you joy’ and I want the same for my grandchildren. They all have varying aspirations, but I can see science in the future with one of them.”
(left) Dawn with her two adult children, Lauren and Shane; (right) spending time with her give grandchildren