Faculty & Staff

Donna Dworak, MS, RN

Clinical Instructor
Department of Health Systems Science

UIC College of Nursing
845 South Damen Avenue (MC 802)
Chicago, IL 60612-7350

Email: dworak@uic.edu

Research / Discovery
Ms. Dworak was a key contributor to the design, implementation, management and evaluation of site specific studies of care and disease management including the Medicare Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration and Evaluation (HCFA: 1988-1995); the Community Nursing Organization Demonstration (HCFA: 1992-1999), Generalist Physician Model for Geriatric Collaborative Practice (John A. Hartford Foundation: 1992-97); Geriatric Team Care in a Medicare HMO (John A. Hartford Foundation: 1998-2003) and the Medicare Coordinated Care Demonstration (CMS: 2002-2006). She completed a study of factors affecting the receipt of home health care by clients of a community care program and has managed a clinical trials facility.

Teaching / Learning
Ms. Dworak has been an instructor/adjunct instructor in the College of Nursing since 1987. She is a course coordinator and teaches a graduate level nursing course on Health, Environment and Systems to students from the Chicago, Peoria, Quad Cities, Rockford, and Urbana campuses. The course incorporates collaborative learning and authentic deliverables to help students learn about at risk populations, health systems and health policy. Ms. Dworak facilitated the transition of the course from seminar to online format and enjoys incorporating new approaches and technologies. She has developed learning materials and workshops for nurse and non-nurse case managers who practice in a variety of settings including state community care programs, home health care, managed care, long term care and hospitals. She has developed and presented in-services on care management, disease management, standardized nursing nomenclatures, and care management information systems. She collaborated with community based case management providers to design a statewide web based case management education system. She has worked with the College of Nursing 's Center for Health Care Innovation to develop and teach an online care management course for nurses working in managed care settings. She has presented at local, state, national and international conferences.

Service / Practice
Ms. Dworak‘s clinical work and areas of interest include population assessment, case management (community, outpatient, ambulatory, inpatient, insurer, employer based), discharge planning and utilization review, cooperative employer – insurer – medical provider case management, coordination of medical and social care management services and rural health initiatives. She worked as a Director and Outcomes Analyst in a Health Systems Research Center for a large, integrated healthcare system in central Illinois. She designed and implemented a care management information system and administrative reports for disease/care management programs. She developed a time/activity reporting system for tracking and analysis of professional and paraprofessional staff functions. She has developed proposals and reports for federal, private and foundation funded programs and policies, procedures and management tools for disease/care management programs. Working at a Visiting Nurse Association she managed case management, community care, home delivered meal, health screening and education, pre and post natal home care and school nursing programs. She provided skilled nursing services to homebound clients, case management in a variety of settings and coordinated preventive health services for a public health department.

Personal
Ms. Dworak's personal interests include gardening, sewing, reading, exploring the Kaskaskia River watershed and spending time with her husband, children and grandchildren.

Key Areas

• Population based health
• Care management
• Nursing case management roles
• Health systems and policy
• Distance learning