Mary Carolyn Howell, RN, MSN, CPN, CNL

Biography

Mary Howell is a clinical instructor in pediatrics for BSN and CNL students. She grew up in Latin America and her love for the pediatric population started at a young age during her time volunteering in orphanages in Colombia and Panama. Many of the children Mary worked with needed basic medical care, but, due to a lack of funds at the orphanages, there were no healthcare providers to help them. 

After returning to the U.S., Mary began her studies at UVA, and earned a BA in Latin American Studies and minor in Spanish. As an undergraduate, she was involved in Madison House’s Medical Volunteer services at both UVA and Martha Jefferson and eventually became a program director. In 2015, she enrolled in the School of Nursing's Clinical Nurse Leader program, and, with her husband, walked the Lawn together a second time. 

After earning her master's, Mary worked with acutely ill children in UVA's pediatrics floor for two years, earning a Daisy award nomination along the way for excellence in pediatric nursing. Being bilingual, and interested in improving long-term outcomes for medically complex children, Mary transitioned to working as a pediatric case manager with Blue Ridge Care Connection for Children, primarily serving the Spanish-speaker community who had children with medical complexity, forging long-lasting relationships with the families she served.

A fierce advocate for children, Mary is grateful to play a role in shaping future nurses' passion for pediatric populations and careers. She is a mother to three precious babies and is grateful to raise them with her soulmate who provides mental health services to children in the Charlottesville area.