Dowell Infectious Nursing Scholarship

My career as an Infectious Diseases physician brought me to Wyoming in 1992, where I founded Rocky Mountain Infectious Diseases. The practice has grown and provides specialty services throughout most of Wyoming. Excellent nursing has been a key to my success and ability to care for complex, ill patients. I have extensive experience collaborating with nurses both at Wyoming Medical Center and at our office (12 full-time RNs). Many times nurses have identified serious issues in my patients and helped to ward off life-threatening developments and deaths.

We hold our office nurses to a very high standard and emphasize education. I have lectured to nursing groups and participated in conferences many times over the years. Our practice has supported several employees who have chosen to enter the field of nursing.

My wife Caryn and I met while attending college in Massachusetts and she was very supportive while I attended the University of Massachusetts Medical School. We did not get married at that time and raised separate families. However, after more than 30 years, we reconnected after she called me on my 50th birthday. It was as if nothing had changed! I convinced her to move to Wyoming and we were married in 2017. Good move on my part! Our families are finally happy after 34 years!

Caryn had previously been the President of a multicounty Chamber of Commerce in New Jersey. After settling in Casper, she became the Executive Director of the Wyoming Medical Center Foundation and remained in that position for greater than 3 years.

Caryn and I wanted to establish a scholarship to honor a profession that has been instrumental to my success. We have founded the Dowell Infectious Nursing Scholarship. The goal is to support the pursuit of a 4 year nursing degree from the University of Wyoming. We wish to celebrate advanced education and excellence. The scholarship is limited to Natrona County residents because the County is our home and where my practice has thrived. We believe that great, highly trained nurses save lives.