Filling the Gap in Advocacy for Human Trafficking Survivors

This nurse turned her doctorate studies into resources for healthcare workers to be better advocate for survivors of human trafficking

Welcome to Nurse Ascent, a twice-weekly newsletter created by nurses for nurses. This week, one nurse shares her journey from bedside to education and now working in advocacy for survivors of human trafficking while simultaneously founding a software platform for better student clinical management. We also discuss a hearing with Dr. Fauci, NYC Mayor Mamdani's grocery stores, as well as a new record high for measles cases in the US.

But first....

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Nurse Spotlight: Dr. Megan McDowell DNP, MSN, RN, CNE

What I do for work

Lately I’m primarily focused on my doctoral work in human trafficking advocacy. I’ve stepped back a bit from my career in nursing education to focus more on working to educate nurses on the topic of human trafficking and what to do if a trafficking victim shows up in healthcare. I first got involved with it when I was doing my doctoral project and I saw that there was a disconnect in what healthcare workers knew about trafficking. I wanted to be the person to see the gap and try to fix the problem. I realized it wasn’t something getting taught effectively to healthcare workers despite the rates that we know human trafficking is happening. Last year, I also launched a software company, called Track My Clinical, which is a tool for clinical management used by nursing schools to help with scheduling, concluding evaluations, and communicating. This stemmed from my own difficulty managing clinical as instructor. With my husband working in software development, we wanted to create a tool that was up to date and made this process easier to manage.

How I got here

I’ve been a nurse since 2003. Since then, I spent 18 years at the bedside working in critical care before I transitioned to cardiology where I found my spark for nurse education. I taught clinical, classroom and now I work as an assistant professor at a university. Through my doctoral work, I got involved with advocacy in human trafficking. I had a patient I now know was probably being trafficked and really felt pulled towards the case to help bridge the gap in care especially with my work in education. From there, I got involved with the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) for the state of Georgia where I’ve now been serving on the board for 3 years. We push for human trafficking advocacy, survivor resources, education, as well as work with law enforcement and social workers to make resources more accessible. I’m also affiliated with a nationwide non-profit organization that helps healthcare professionals with their knowledge and helps hospital develop response protocols.

Headlines in Healthcare

Dr. Fauci invoked 5th Amendment during hearing

Dr. Anthony Fauci declined to answer senators’ questions at a hearing last week discussing the origins of Covid-19 and the government’s handling of the pandemic. According to NBC News, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid the possibility that Republicans would use his testimony to prosecute him for perjury. Republicans accused Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, of providing harmful advice on issues such as lockdowns and of lacking candor about the origins of the coronavirus. Democrats defended Fauci from a “show trial” and warned this could deter and endanger public health officials.

Mamdani's NYC public grocery stores will be 30% cheaper

Mayor of NYC, Zohran Mamdani, annouced that in New York City's new municipal grocery stores, staples including fresh produce, meat, seafood, dairy will be offered at a fixed cost and 30% cheaper than retail price. According to Business Insider, he shared that the stores are a win for affordability and a counter to fluctuating costs and surveillance pricing that will save New Yorkers up to $90 per month. New York City has allocated $70 million in the capital budget to launch the stores, which will be subsidized by municipal funding once open.

US measles cases reach a new 35-year high

The US has now reached a new, concerning milestone. According to Johns Hopkins University, cases in the US have reached a 35-year high. It reports there have been more cases so far in 2026 than in all of 2025. The country has recorded more cases than in any other year since 1991, passing a milestone that was just topped last year. Health officials warns that measles is a highly contagious disease that can lead to serious complications for young children and share that this new milestone reminds us how vaccine-preventable diseases can return when immunization rates are declining

More on Megan

A day in my life

This week I’m building out a new course to teach this Fall. I’m a success coach where I do individual coaching with nursing students helping them learn how to study efficiently, improving test-taking skills, and managing anxiety. I’ll also do some advocacy work going through all the different non-profits and resources available for trafficking survivors and share that list with all involved parties in the state of Georgia. I check to see what type of resources are provided and then making sure our list is updated for patient who come into the hospital. With my software company, we are doing on-boarding for 2 new clients this week. I’ll be doing education for their faculty and staff. 23 years into my career, I never thought that this is where nursing would lead me but I’m happy that it has. I like that I’m still able to seek out innovative ways to niche out into nursing and nursing education.

My self-care routine

I’ve got 3 kids and I love hanging out with them. My oldest is 20 and lives in Alaska, my daughter is a high schooler, and my youngest is a middle schooler, so we have a lot of different stages happening in my house right now. I’m really big on working out and exercising not only for physical, but mental health. I’ve been doing more weight lifting, running, walking, and Zumba. I love to read for pleasure during my downtime, especially to balance out all this academic reading I do.

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An image of author Katie Scoggins is pictured.

Meet the author:
Katie Scoggins
(RN, BSN & Health Writer)

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