Dr. Mackavey is the Master's Program Coordinator and the Post Master's Nursing Education Track Coordinator at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston Cizik School of Nursing. She holds the academic rank of assistant professor of clinical nursing. She practices clinically as a Family Nurse Practitioner focusing on chronic disease management.

A native of Newton, Massachusetts, Dr. Mackavey moved to Texas in 1998 and attended the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, where she earned Masters of Science in Nursing. After practicing as a Family Nurse Practitioner in the Houston Heights area for many years, she earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at UTHealth. Dr. Mackavey has been actively involved in advanced nursing practice for 18 years. Dr. Mackavey has educational interests in competency-based education, gamification strategies to enhance student engagement and stimulate critical thinking, simulation modalities to improve clinical knowledge and skill proficiency, and in developing curriculum and measurement approaches for advanced nurse practice education. Her clinical interests include chronic disease management, cardiovascular and diabetes, and improving access to care for vulnerable populations.