FACULTY PROFILE
“The most rewarding aspect of my academic work is seeing students react to and become excited about new knowledge and concepts that they can use in practice. Nursing is a practice profession that is guided by a theoretical base that forms the basis for improvement in practice through research. The use of research in practice is central to our social mission of advancing the profession and the quality of care provided to patients and families.
I have been teaching at Governors State for 26 years. During my tenure, I have taught undergraduate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing practice students. Teaching and facilitating learning at each level is a unique experience. Each class enlightens me as an instructor and co-learner with students. We have made many changes in the curriculum and the program since I first started teaching in 1998.
During my years at GovState, I have had the opportunity to complete my nursing doctorate at Rush University, Chicago, and EdD with a concentration in higher education at Governors State. I have taught on-ground and online courses; chaired Doctor of Nursing Practice capstone committees; coordinated the Doctor of Nursing Practice program; authored and co-authored research, book chapters, and journal articles; presented at regional, national, and international conferences; reviewed articles as a peer reviewer for scholarly journals; engaged in university governance through participation in the Faculty Senate, the Educational Policy Committee, the University Personnel Committee, and the University Curriculum Committee. I have participated as a site visitor for one of Nursing education’s accrediting bodies, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
Community Service is a rewarding experience in Nursing. It is a way of giving back and meeting the Nursing profession’s social mission. The experiences that I found most rewarding were advocating for the uninsured and underinsured through participation on the advisory board for the Access to Care Program of the Suburban Cook County Primary Care Council. During my tenure on that council, I frequently testified in support of the uninsured at the Cook County Budget hearings. The experience served a dual purpose of providing a service while also exposing students to dynamic health policy experience at the budget hearings. I have also been fortunate to contribute to the care of senior citizens at the Rich Township Senior Citizens' blood pressure screenings and other health screening related activities over the years. Reading, dancing, and spending time with family and extended family are my main outside interests. I am also fond of all things musical, art, and theater."
- Catherine Tymkow, Ed.D. Ed.D. DNP, APN, WHNP-BC
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Tymkow, C. (2025). Scholarship for the nursing discipline: The DNP role. In Schadewald, D. (ed.). Zaccagnini’s & White’s core competencies for advanced practice nursing: A guide for DNP’s, 5th edition. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Published 12/31/2023.
Tymkow, C. (2021) Clinical scholarship and evidence-based practice. In M.
Zaccagnini, & J.M. Pechacek (Eds.). The Doctor of Nursing Practice essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing, (4th ed.) Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Tymkow, C. & Comer, S. (2021). Direct-to-consumer genetic testing for BRCA mutations: An ethical Pandora’s Box. In R. Ellison & L. Clack. Health policy management: A case study approach. Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett.
Comer, S. & Tymkow, C. & Comer, S. (2021). Autonomy & non-maleficence: A case of Alzheimer’s disease risk. In R. Ellison & L. Clack. Health policy management: A case study approach. Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Tymkow, C. (2017). Clinical scholarship and evidence-based practice. In M
Zaccagnini, & K.W. White (Eds.). The Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing, (3rd Ed.) Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett.
Carlson, S., MacMullen, N., Tymkow, C., Comer, S. (2016). Creating a flexible nursing staff within an urban level III perinatal environment: Creating a flexible staffing model. The Internet Journal of Advanced Nursing Practice, 15(1), DOI: 10.5580/IJAPA.39961.
Tymkow, C. (2014). Clinical scholarship and evidence-based practice. In M. Zaccagnini & K.W. White (Eds). The Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing, (2nd Ed.) Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett.
Tymkow, C. (2014). Clinical scholarship and evidence-based practice. In M. Zaccagnini & K.W. White (Eds). The doctor of nursing practice essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing, (2nd Ed.) Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett.
Daack-Hirsch, S., Sanner, J., Tymkow, C., et al. (2011) Position Statement on Genetic Biobanking and the Nurse’s Role. International Society of Nurses in Genetics.
Tymkow, C., (2011) Clinical scholarship and evidence-based practice. In M. Zaccagnini & K. W. White (Eds.). The Doctor of Nursing Practice Essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing, (1st ed.). Sudbury, Mass: Jones & Bartlett.
MacMullen, N., Shen, J. & Tymkow, C. (2010). Adverse maternal outcomes in asthmatic versus non-asthmatic women. Applied Nursing Research, 23(1), e9-e13.
MacMullen, N., Tymkow, C. & Shen, J.J. (2006). Adverse maternal outcomes in women with asthma: Differences by race. American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing, 31 (4), 263-268.
Shen, J.J., Tymkow, C., MacMullen, N. (2005). Disparities in maternal outcomes among four ethnic populations. Ethnicity and Disease, 15 (3), 492-497.
Johnson, T. S., Brennan, R., Tymkow, C. (Flynn) (1999). Design and implementation of an in-home breastfeeding education program. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, 28, 5,480-485.
Tymkow, C. (1998). Research Update: Osteoporosis. The Newsletter of the Division of Patient Care. Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 1, 5.
Ramsey-Goldman, R., Tymkow, C., Koch, L., Lou, H., Dunlop, D. (1998). Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in Women with Lupus Matched to Healthy Controls. Preliminary results (Abstract)