Markowski named American Heart Association fellow

Gail Markowski, clinical assistant professor in the School of Nursing, has been named a fellow of the American Heart Association. The prestigious honor recognizes professionals who have made significant contributions to cardiovascular and stroke research, clinical leadership and volunteer service within the organization.

Markowski is director of the nursing school’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Adult-Gerontology Program and is a nurse practitioner in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Program at Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, where she launched and directed Catholic Health’s Structural Heart Program. The program introduced less-invasive, catheter-based procedures for aortic valve replacement in patients previously considered inoperable.

Markowski’s nursing career spans more than 25 years, with a strong focus in cardiology. She worked as a registered nurse on an intensive care unit for several years before completing UB’s Adult Nurse Practitioner and Post-Master’s Acute Care Nurse Practitioner programs. Markowski earned her Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP) from UB in 2020.

Markowski gained hands-on experience with patients working in the cardiac services department at Mercy Hospital.

“I worked in the cardiac catheterization lab, learning a great deal regarding patients with coronary artery disease,” she says. “I was also given the opportunity to join the team that introduced ‘Get With The Guidelines’ for heart disease to the staff of the hospitals in the Catholic System.

“These were hospital-based, quality-improvement initiatives created by the American Heart Association,” says Markowski. “These focused on the importance of patient education.”

As catheter-based interventions became more common, Markowski helped establish the Structural Heart Program, which she says allowed hospitals to offer a less-invasive way to replace aortic valves in inoperable patients.

“I directed the program and appreciated how well our patients did,” she says. “I went on to work with cardiothoracic surgery patients and remained learning every step of the way.”

In her current faculty role at UB, Markowski combines her clinical expertise with a commitment to nursing education and community health.

“I try to pass my passion on to our students,” she says. “UB allowed me the opportunity to participate in global mission experiences and local Million Hearts AHA initiatives of screening for hypertension and offering patient education to those in the community.

“My goal is to educate our nurses and providers in all that cardiology is and what it offers patients with its advanced technology and knowledge.”