FNU Quarterly Bulletin Spring 2024, Volume 99, Number 1

QUARTERLY BULLETIN

Thank you to the Van Sloun Foundation for their generous support of this important conference.

Followed by the New Alumni & Family Celebration on the FNU Campus / 2:00–5:00 pm EST

President’s Cabinet

Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN President

Shelley Aldridge, BA Chief Operations Officer

Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, APRN, Dean for Inclusive Excellence and Student Success

Marc Blevins, MS, CISA Chief Information and Digital Officer

Emily Fangue, CPA, MBA, Chief Financial Officer

Bobbi Silver, Chief Advancement Officer

Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN

Dean of Nursing

Torica Fuller, DNP, FPN-BC, NP-C, WHNP-BC, CDP, CGRN, CPN FNP, Clinical Transition Coordinator (faculty representative)

Samana Upadhyaya, MSCPE, Enterprise Applications Manager (staff representative)

Academic Administration

Audra Cave, DNP, FNP-BC Department Chair Family Nursing

Khara’ Jefferson, DNP, APRN, FNP-C DNP Director

Rachel Risner, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, C-FNP, CNE

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

Kevin Scalf, DNP, APRN, PMHNPBC, CNEcl, Department Chair of Psychiatric-Mental Health

Eileen Thrower, Ph.D., APRN, CNM, CNE, FACNM

Department Chair of Midwifery and Women’s Health

Dear Friends,

What an exciting time it is to be at Frontier Nursing University! We recently held our annual Homecoming celebration. It was a fabulous weekend and I am so proud to share the stories of our annual service awards in this issue of the Quarterly Bulletin. I am sure you will join me in being amazed and proud of what they have accomplished in service to their communities and Frontier. They are true leaders and great examples of our responsibility to both lead and serve.

In that same spirit, we are excited to share news of several impactful events in the coming months at Frontier. First, our 14th annual Diversity Impact Conference will be held July 18-19. We already have a great series of speakers lined up to guide us through these important discussions about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Another event that promises to be impactful well beyond the FNU campus is the Maternal Mortality Conference, being held in partnership with the Campion Fund. This research-based conference will be held on FNU’s campus on Thursday, September 19, with the goal of sharing information on strategies that work to reduce our nation’s maternal mortality crisis. According to 2022 data from the CDC, more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. from 2017-2019 were preventable by providing better care. This conference aims to share ideas that have been successful in reducing these tragic numbers.

All of that leads us to, of course, our biggest annual event –Commencement – in September, immediately followed once again by our Alumni and Family event on the FNU campus.

As you can see, these are busy and exciting times at Frontier and we can’t wait to tell you all about it. We hope you are as excited as we are and will join us for these exciting and important events. Your relentless support and commitment to FNU and our mission fuels our efforts and propels us to new heights year after year.

With gratitude,

Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM

Upcoming Events Frontier Nursing University to Host Maternal Mortality Conference

Frontier Nursing University and the Campion Fund announced plans for a conference focused on the nation’s maternal mortality crisis. “Reducing Maternal Mortality: Strategies That Work!” will be held on Thursday, September 19, on the FNU campus in Versailles, Kentucky. Capacity is limited to 100 spots for the in-person conference, with an additional 300 spots available for online attendees. Thank you to the Van Sloun Foundation for their generous support of this important conference.

This research-oriented conference focuses on identifying and describing programs and practices that successfully reduce maternal mortality rates, essential for improving maternal health in the United States. According to 2022 data from the CDC, more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. from 2017-2019 were preventable by providing better care.

“Maternal mortality is a critical public health issue, but there are effective ways to address this crisis,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN. “This conference aims to identify and describe programs and practices that have successfully reduced maternal mortality rates.”

Maternal mortality rates are alarmingly high for all women, with non-Hispanic Black women experiencing maternal mortality at more than 2.5 times the rate of white women. Contributing factors include limited access to care, insufficient financial resources and insurance, racial discrimination, cultural insensitivity, undocumented status, chronic medical conditions, mental health issues, pregnancy complications, addictive behaviors, restrictive laws, and partner abuse and violence.

“This conference must examine all sides of maternal mortality because this complex issue is a result of many contributing factors,” Dr. Stone said. “By bringing together interdisciplinary leaders in this field, we will accelerate the process of addressing the root causes of maternal mortality in the U.S.”

Registration for the conference is also available at frontier.edu/maternal-mortalityconference or by scanning the QR code below. Registration to attend in person is $149 (includes lodging and meals) or $79 (includes meals only). Virtual participation is $49. Any current student attending a higher education institution may attend the conference at no cost.

Frontier Nursing University Announces Plans for 14th Annual Diversity Impact Conference

On July 18-19, 2024, Frontier Nursing University will hold its 14th annual Diversity Impact Conference. The Diversity Impact Conference brings together renowned thought leaders and speakers to increase awareness of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the healthcare workforce, particularly for those working in underserved and rural communities. The conference is a virtual event conducted via Zoom. This year’s conference theme is “Representation Matters: Breaking Down Contributing Factors of Health Inequities.”

“We are thrilled to announce our two keynote speakers for this year’s event,” said FNU Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Student Success Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, APRN. “Drs. Lucinda Canty and Lisa Meeks are recognized experts on healthcare disparities and their underlying causes. This promises to be an incredibly informative and inspiring conference, and we are proud to be able to make it available to an increasingly broader audience.”

Dr. Lucinda Canty, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM, is an Associate Professor of Nursing, and Director of the Seedworks Health Equity in Nursing Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Columbia University, a master’s degree from Yale University, specializing in nurse-midwifery, and a PhD from the University of Connecticut. Dr. Canty has provided reproductive health care for over 29 years. Her research interests include the prevention of

maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity, reducing racial and ethnic health disparities in reproductive health, promoting diversity in nursing, and eliminating racism in nursing and midwifery.

Dr. Lisa Meeks, Ph.D, MA, is a distinguished scholar and leader whose unwavering commitment to inclusivity and excellence has significantly influenced the landscape of health professions education and accessibility. She is the founder and executive director of the DocsWithDisabilities Initiative and holds appointments as an Associate Professor in the Departments of Learning Health Sciences and Family Medicine at the University of Michigan. In addition to developing impactful programs, Dr. Meeks plays a pivotal role in advancing equity through her collaborations with health professions associations.

The full conference schedule and speaker biographies can be found at frontier.edu/diversity-impact.

Students attending any institution can register for the conference for free. All others can register until the day before the event. For more information about the 2024 Diversity Impact Conference and to register, please visit frontier.edu/diversity-impact.

Annual Awards Dinner Highlights

Homecoming 2024

FNU’s annual Homecoming event was held on campus on Saturday, March 23. The event featured campus tours, a screening of FNU’s new maternal health documentary, a horse farm tour, and a free continuing education session. The event was capped off by the annual service awards dinner. These awards are presented to FNU alumni who have gone on to make significant contributions to their communities or to the university.

“So many of our alumni have gone on to do amazing things in communities all across the country and even the world,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM. “I am so proud of the way they represent and support Frontier Nursing University. Their dedication, commitment, and generosity are truly inspiring. I look forward to celebrating and congratulating each of this year’s very deserving award recipients.”

Following is a list of the 2024 award recipients. Please read their inspirational stories and achievements featured in the following pages.

Distinguished Service to Society Award:

Dr. Francis Aho, DNP, CNM

Christopher Davis, MSN, FNP-C, ENP-C

The Distinguished Service to Society award recognizes an alumnus who goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service in his or her community. The 2024 recipients of this award are Dr. Francis Aho, DNP, CNM, and Christopher Davis, MSN, FNP-C, ENP-C

Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award:

Dr. Tia Andrighetti, CNM, APRN, CHSE-A, CNE, FACNM

The Distinguished Service to Alma Mater honors an alumnus who has continued to provide support to Frontier through volunteer efforts and/or philanthropy. The 2024 recipient is Dr. Tia Andrighetti, CNM, APRN, CHSE-A, CNE, FACNM.

Unbridled Spirit Award:

Dr. Elia Cole, DO, MPH

The Unbridled Spirit Award is given annually to a former Courier who is dedicated to serving others, has ongoing, longstanding stewardship of Frontier; and has demonstrated conviction, courage, and a zest for adventure. The Courier Program Public Health Internship is an eight-week rural and public health summer service-learning program for college students with an interest in public health, healthcare, or a related field. The 2024 recipient is Dr. Elia R. Cole, DO, MPH.

Lifetime Service Award:

Janice Bovée,MSN, CNM

The Lifetime Service Award recognizes an individual or organization providing longstanding support and commitment to the mission and work of Frontier Nursing Service and Frontier Nursing University. The 2024 recipient of this award is Janice Bovée, MSN, CNM.

Distinguished Preceptor Award:

Dr. Sandi Mellor, DNP, APRN, FNP

The Distinguished Preceptor Award recognizes an alumnus providing long-standing support and commitment to the mission and work of Frontier Nursing Service and Frontier Nursing University through precepting students. The 2024 recipient of this award is Dr. Sandi Mellor, DNP, APRN, FNP.

Homecoming 2024

DR. FRANCIS AHO

2024 Distinguished Service to Society Award Recipient

Sometimes in life, we wind up exactly where we are meant to be. For Dr. Francis Aho, DNP (Class 37), CNM, that place has been with Africa Mission Services (AMS) in Kenya since 2008. On June 21, 2024, she plans to open the Africa Mission Services Women’s Health Center, an 11,000-squarefoot building that will include both inpatient and outpatient services, as well as a labor and delivery wing. The birth center will provide an extremely rural and underserved population with vital services that were previously administered as a small component of the AMS Community Health Clinic, which serves the Maasai tribe of the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

“This is major for us,” Aho said. “We will have an outpatient department, an inpatient maternity wing, and then an OB labor and delivery wing. We started out in a little clinic building with just an exam bed, no electricity, no running water.”

In 2016, Aho and her team renovated an area of the AMS Community Health Clinic to provide more space for maternal health services, but the need for a larger, dedicated space is evident. In 2023, Aho and her team of four Kenyan midwives delivered 612 babies in a community with an estimated population of 11,000.

“It is really hard to know the actual population,” Aho said. “We are on dirt roads. If you drive down the road, it looks like nobody is around here, but they are all in little huts and homes in the bush. We also have women from farther away who come for ultrasound or specialty care such as infertility.”

What might seem overwhelming to some is exactly the environment Aho craves. Born in Switzerland, she and her family came to the United States when she was 4, moving

Dr. Francis Aho and her team of midwives delivered 612 babies in 2023.

around a lot before settling in rural western Tennessee when she was 10. She grew up in a very religious family and often read about mission trips and mission work. Her passion for serving led her to become an ER nurse, where she found that she also thrived on the adrenaline rush of providing urgent care. She thought of becoming a flight nurse, which would be both exciting and fulfilling, but the idea of mission work was also in the back of her mind. She did some mission work in Honduras and sought a more permanent position. That’s when she found AMS. She moved to Kenya in 2008.

“At that time, there was a clinic – just a little building – and visiting doctors would open it up,” Aho said. “It would be open for a week and then shut down. I asked Africa Mission Services if I could come and open up the clinic full-time. I was 24 and thought I could change the world. A Kenyan provider, thank goodness, asked if he could help open it up. We came the same week. That was December 2008.”

Aho recalls losing a 5-year-old patient with malaria just three days into her time at the clinic and hiking into the village to treat pregnant women while the Kenyan provider treated the men.

“I was an ER nurse and knew nothing about women’s health,” Aho said. “I was just kind of feeling around their bellies and talking to them about nutrition. I had no clue what I was doing. That evening we delivered our first baby with a little mini Maglight. The girl who is now in charge of my office was holding the mini Maglight, and I delivered the baby.”

Despite the uneven start, Aho was hooked. Aside from a two-year hiatus from the clinic after the birth of her twins in 2014, she has remained at the clinic along with her husband, Andrew, who is the founder of AMS.

After the birth of her children, Aho’s awareness of the need for maternal care was heightened. She needed to learn more in order to better care for these women and their babies.

“I think my maternal instinct kicked in. I had to change things,” she said. “I ended up going to Frontier Nursing University and decided to become a midwife. We did a big fundraiser, got equipment, and renovated a whole area at the clinic, and that’s where we set up the birth center. I hired Kenyans who were more specialized midwives and knew maternity, and we became the Women’s Health Center.”

After earning her CNM at Frontier, Aho went on to get her DNP from Frontier as well. Her DNP project led to the establishment of a prenatal class at the clinic.

“I have learned basic OB ultrasound and taught two of my midwives,” she said. “As

I was doing my DNP, I decided, as part of it, I would ultrasound all the women. I did ultrasounds on hundreds of women for my DNP project. That’s what made me learn OB ultrasound.”

Aho’s enrollment at FNU coincided with the university updating its policies to disallow clinicals being completed internationally. Aho feared she might not be able to continue.

“I was all gung-ho and ended up going to Frontier Bound that week they announced online that they were not allowing international clinical,” Aho said. “They worked with me. I went and did three months, then I flew back to Kenya for two months, and then I flew back and finished. I did my clinical in Chattanooga. For my DNP, they allowed me to do my project at my clinic. Being able to do it somewhere where I have autonomy and leadership, I was able to choose something that was very impactful for my population and clinic.”

Like many others, Aho was drawn to FNU’s mission to provide care to rural and underserved communities and populations.

“I chose Frontier because of their mission,” Aho said. “Their mission is really to give back to rural areas and underserved populations, and that really hit home with me.”

Without question, Aho certainly serves a rural and underserved area. Not only are healthcare services limited, but so are travel

and overall access to care. AMS has modified a Landcruiser to serve as an ambulance able to traverse the rough and muddy dirt roads. It is over an hour's drive to a facility that can perform a C-section and two-and-a-half hours to get to the nearest NICU.

“We are the first line for anything emergency-related in the area,” Aho said. “We deal with a lot higher risk than a birth center should, considering we don’t have C-sections, but we see patients that we will never see for prenatal care who will show up at our door ready to deliver. We have a population of HIV-positive moms, we deliver twins at least once a month. We have done triplets. We have done breach delivery. When we do an ultrasound and know that they are twins, we do the counseling and tell them they should go into town and deliver where there is a backup for C-section, but at the end of the day, they can afford to come to us, and they are going to show up.”

They can afford the care Aho and her time provide thanks to AMS being aligned with the Kenyan government’s insurance program. The government provides payment for rural women, even if they are uninsured.

“The majority of people don’t work, and they don’t have insurance,” Aho said. “They can come to our clinic, we sign them up, and then they get four prenatal care visits, the delivery, four well-baby checkups, and the immunizations that the government will pay us for. We get about $20 for the delivery. It’s not big money, but it’s more than we could charge the locals. It does help cover

our payroll, but we haven’t been paid since March of 2023.”

AMS, which is a nonprofit with no religious affiliation, relies on donations, fundraisers, and volunteers to help serve its mission. Volunteer medical teams, construction teams, and even landscaping teams provide much-needed physical support.

“When I have a medical team, I will go out with them, and we will set up mobile clinics in the villages that don’t have a healthcare facility, and we do free clinics under a tree,” Aho said.

With the opening of the AMS Women’s Health Center, Aho will do so with a 12-person staff, including four midwives, a lab technician, a pharmacist, and social workers who are birth assistants. Together, they are committed to providing excellent healthcare while respecting the culture and values of their patient population.

“Having a birth here is a woman’s event completely,” Aho said. “They are polygamous in general, so they come either with a cowife, a sister, mother, some other women – and we will often have a room full of women supporting one mother. We will let mothers come into the room if women are giving birth and they want their mom or another woman to give them strength. They have certain practices like blowing air into the mom’s mouth that give them strength, conveying strength from one to the other.

(continued on page 8)

The Africa Mission Services Women’s Health Center is scheduled to open on June 21, 2024.

Dr. Francis Aho (left) and her Africa Mission Services Community Health Clinic team.

Homecoming 2024

(continued from page 7)

I try as much as possible only to educate and change things that are not healthy for the baby or mom.”

“I don’t want them to feel judged when they are giving birth,” Aho said. “I feel like I empathize with the women here. They have a tough life, and if I can make their childbirth experience safer and give them a place where they can rest and feel treated with respect

and their cultural values respected, it gives me a high sense of fulfillment.”

The opening of the Women’s Health Center this summer figures to be equally fulfilling. She hopes that it will grow beyond providing maternity care to addressing other needs, such as breast cancer and cervical cancer testing and treatment.

“I never came in with the idea that I could raise enough funds or start this big women’s health center,” Aho said. “My dream is that this women’s health center way outlasts me. I will feel like I have been successful if I have trained the locals to know what I know and if the center doesn’t shut down when I leave.”

2024 Distinguished Service to Society Award Recipient

Frontier Nursing University graduates are urged to “Answer the Call” – the call to serve their communities as skilled and compassionate providers. Christopher Davis, MSN, FNP-C (Class 71), ENP-C, takes that mantra quite literally, responding to 911 calls, natural disasters, and other emergency situations.

The South Carolina native knew early on that he was called to serve and did so initially as a paramedic.

“I stumbled into an EMT class over 25 years ago and fell in love with medical care,” Davis said. “I loved the fast-paced life. I worked in 911 responses, critical care transports, and even flight medicine. While I was a paramedic, I was part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster team that responded to hurricanes.”

While Davis was already going above and beyond to serve, he recognized that with additional training, he could provide even better care to those in need.

“As a paramedic, I was involved with critical care medicine,” Davis said. “I knew that I could provide a different level of patient

“One day, I decided I wanted to provide better care to my patients and decided to go to NP school,” Davis said. “I looked at several and decided that Frontier was the best choice because of the compatibility with my life and for the instructors themselves. During the application process, several professors helped me by talking about the program. Very early on, I got a bad grade. At many schools, this would have been just another bad grade. My professor called me, discussed my current course load and my current work environment, and helped me make a big decision. I went into my boss' office the next day and resigned. I knew more than anything I had to focus on school. I never missed a meal and never slept outside. The Lord watched over me and helped me.”

care as a nurse, so with the help of some supportive co-workers, I went for it.”

After obtaining his MSN, he worked in the emergency room and returned to critical care transports. Eventually, he became the emergency room director, which also entailed being the director of the local ambulance service.

While attending FNU, Davis was commissioned as an officer in the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), assigned to the Department of Justice. After graduation, he reported to Pineville, Kentucky, to work in a federal penitentiary. A few years later, he was transferred back to his home state of South Carolina, where works at a medium-security prison.

CHRISTOPHER DAVIS

Christopher Davis, MWN, FNP-C (Class 71), ENP-C

At the prison, Davis sees adult male patients who have been incarcerated. Hepatitis C, HIV, and opioid use disorder are among the common conditions he treats. He is also called upon for emergency response.

“Working in a correctional setting, security is always the top priority,” Davis said. “So a huge challenge sometimes can be simply getting the patients into the office to see them.”

Working in what might seem like a chaotic and stressful environment, Davis finds focus in his service to others.

“Frontier prepared me for this by the rigor of the study,” he said. “It taught me to be sure to be fully there for my patients.”

Because the USPHS is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, Davis is also still able to serve in disaster medicine. He reports having been called to support the U.S. Board Patrol, as well as multiple hurricanes, tuberculosis, and COVID outbreaks.

“Officers have regular jobs but also stand ready to assist in federal disasters,” Davis said. “Once, I went to the border and noted that one of the nurses I was with was always studying. Turns out she was a Frontier

student. I quickly let my supervisor know this as we already had a common connection since he was a Frontier graduate as well.”

Davis is committed to his work and those he is able to serve through it. He embraces the chaos and finds satisfaction in being able to help those in their most desperate times of need.

“I love the variety. There are never two days that are alike,” he said. “If it starts to seem a tad boring, it seems like suddenly a giant hurricane comes, and I find myself

working in a disaster shelter in another place. I also have the opportunity to travel to other prisons fairly often and assist them when staffing is low or their situation is overwhelming. This leads to increased job satisfaction, as I can understand short staffing.”

It is equally easy to understand why Frontier Nursing University is proud to present Christopher Davis with the Distinguished Service to Society Award in recognition of his long and varied career devoted to the service of those in dire need.

“One

day, I decided I wanted to provide better care to my patients and decided to go to NP school. I looked at several and decided that Frontier was the best choice…”

— Christopher Davis MSN, FNP-C (Class 71), ENP-C

Christopher with his wife, Misty.

The Davis family. Front Row (l-r): Toby and Chloe. Back Row (l-r): Misty, Sarah, and Christopher.

Homecoming 2024

DR. TIA ANDRIGHETTI

2024 Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award Recipient

It is hard to imagine Dr. Tia Andrighetti, DNP, CNM, APRN, CHSE-A, CNE, FACNM, being anywhere but at Frontier Nursing University, where she has been a fixture for 20 years in a variety of capacities. But Andrighetti actually started as a pre-med student at Penn State University, planning to become an orthopedic surgeon.

“I was pre-med until I took calculus with the engineers,” said Andrighetti, who grew up in Connecticut the daughter of a nurse. “Let me tell you, I never worked so hard to pass a class in my life.”

But make no mistake, it wasn’t a lack of ability to pass the courses, but the number of years that lay ahead. Andrighetti met her future husband at Penn State and they were both eager to start their careers and their lives together. Andrighetti turned to nursing, and the rest is history. She went on to earn her BSN at Penn State.

“I found Frontier during my maternity rotation,” Andrighetti said. “I did a rotation with one of the original Frontier midwives and was just in awe of her. She was amazing, and I said, ‘Oh, I want to be a midwife!’ Everything she did with the education of patients and the empowerment of patients resonated with me. I said I only want to be a midwife, and I only want to be a Frontier midwife.”

Andrighetti obtained her MSN through Case Western Reserve University in 1997 while working toward her CNM at Frontier at the same time. During her clinical rotations, she lived with her grandparents to finish her clinical rotations.

“I chose a community hospital to do my clinicals because I wasn’t quite comfortable enough to go out of hospital, but I knew

Tia Andrighetti, DNP, CNM, APRN, CHSE-A, CNE, FACNM

I wanted to be where clients were more empowered and a little bit lower risk for midwifery care,” Andrighetti said. “I did my clinicals there for quite a while until my midwife was let go. Then I worked with my RCF (regional clinical faculty), Betty Bradberry, who was one of the original Frontier midwives. She was able to find me a clinical site in a Federally Qualified Health Center. I worked with the gamut of patients and had a wonderful experience with those midwives doing birth in the local hospital.”

While most of her classmates at Frontier were older, Andrighetti started when she was just 25.

“At that point, I was a baby of the class,” Andrighetti said. “Everybody that was in my class was at the other end of family life, so their kids were in high school, college, things like that. They were in their 40s and 50s. Here I was doing it prior to kids and

life-altering adjustments. I still have some close friendships with the midwives I went to school with.”

After graduating from Frontier, Andrighetti worked in a private practice in New London, Connecticut, for a couple of years and then worked at a small community hospital while her husband attended law school. When Andrighetti was seven months pregnant, she left practice for a few years to stay home and raise her family. Her return to the workplace was a gradual one that well-suited Andrighetti’s work-life balance at the time.

She received a letter from Frontier in search of RCFs in her area. Andrighetti applied and eventually was hired as what she describes as a “part-time RCF” because she only had two students during her first year.

“I had one-and-a-half and three-year-old children at that time,” Andrighettti said. “I did the RCF role, and then I became a teaching associate. I was working with Amy Marowitz (DNP, CNM), and Deborah Karsnitz (DNP, CNM, FACNM) in their courses, and they both took leaves to get their doctorates. I was the one in charge of their courses while they were gone. So I kind of got sucked back into full-time work, and I could see the writing on the wall that we were all going to be getting doctorates. So then I came back and did the DNP program.”

Andrighetti credits FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, with helping her narrow her focus while in the DNP program, and eventually, she locked in on clinical simulations as her target area.

“I conducted research, and I developed the simulations that the midwives were going to use at Clinical Bound,” Andrighetti said. “I trained all the faculty how to run these and then ran them with the students and then conducted research on whether they were effective in helping them learn their new role.”

Soon, Andrighetti became the Clinical Bound team leader. She furthered her knowledge by participating in the National League for Nursing’s year-long simulationleader program as well as a week-long training at Drexel University.

“Half of the week at Drexel was on the high fidelity mannequins, but on the other half of the week, it was with standardized patients,” Andrighetti said.

“That was my first exposure to standardized patients,” Andrighetti said. “There were four groups of us, and each group wrote a simulation for another group. So we learned how to write the simulations, but then we also had to be the students so we could see what it felt like from the student's perspective. After that, I was sold on the fact that standardized patients were the key to what we needed. Our students need to practice that interaction. Yes, they need to do hand skills and things like that, but they need to practice talking to somebody while doing those skills also.”

To develop simulations at Frontier, faculty create the health care scenario and write a script for the standardized patient. The standardized patient interacts with the students to enact the role as if they were a real live patient. The result is an interaction between the student and patient in which the student acts as the health care provider under faculty supervision. The goal is for

the student to collect information, diagnose, and provide a treatment plan as if it were a real patient-healthcare provider interaction. This practice environment is invaluable to the student’s learning experience.

Andrighetti combined her training in simulations with research to determine what simulations were most impactful for Frontier students.

“Part of the gap analysis I did during my doctorate was to look at some software we had back then to figure out what our students were getting exposed to during clinicals,” she said. “It was about 50 percent for shoulder dystocia and 50 percent for postpartum hemorrhage. Basically, half of our students did not have one of those two complications while they were students. That sold me on the fact that the first time they are going to have to manage these high acuity, high morbidity, and mortality events could potentially be on their own without a lot of resources. We have to have it the most lifelike we can because this may be their only practice ever before they are the ones who are in charge of doing it.”

Today, Andrighetti is an associate professor as well as FNU’s Innovation Coach and

Simulation Coordinator working with all programs. She consults with other faculty to help determine what simulations are needed and also relies on student surveys and input to help adjust and improve the simulations.

“When we query the students, consistently what they will say is, ‘It was one of the most nerve-wracking things I’ve had to do, but I’m so glad on the other side of it that I got to have that experience in a safe environment where I’m not going to harm someone and I got to practice some skills that I might be less than ideal at.’”

As she celebrates her 20th anniversary at Frontier in March, Andrighetti eyes the future with the goal of continuing to grow and develop FNU’s simulations.

“This award is coming at a time when I feel the hard work that I’ve put into Frontier with the simulations is really coming to fruition. I really feel like we have a simulation program now,” she said. “When I eventually leave Frontier, I hope I leave it in really good shape so the simulation program continues well after I’m gone. It’s an established part of healthcare right now, and we are definitely on the forefront of how to deliver these simulations to our students.”

“I found Frontier during my maternity rotation… I did a rotation with one of the original Frontier midwives and was just in awe of her. She was amazing, and I said, ‘Oh, I want to be a midwife!’”

— Dr. Tia Andrighetti

DNP, CNM, APRN, CHSE-A, CNE, FACNM

Homecoming 2024

DR. ELIA R. COLE

2024 Unbridled Spirit Award Recipient

At first glance, it may appear ironic that Dr. Elia R. Cole, DO, MPH, provides healthcare from her home as part of Northwest Permanente’s virtual healthcare services. After all, much of Cole’s life has been spent on wide-ranging journeys in pursuit of learning and medical opportunities to be in service to others.

Born in the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, Cole’s interest in healthcare was sparked when her mother was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Cole was just 14 years old but marveled at the all-female medical group that cared for her mother.

“My dad was a social worker and mental health administrator. Through his work, I got a glimpse of what was needed to orchestrate complex service care delivery in rural places and underserved communities. I also got to spend quite a bit of time through my mom’s work as an art therapist at a children’s psychiatric hospital. I was exposed to how institutions deliver healthcare and the impact that changing a patient’s environment can have on overall health outcomes. I think the blend of those three things was the impetus for getting into healthcare.”

Inspired and motivated, Cole wasted little time in pursuing a career. As a pre-med student at Bard College in Annandale-onHudson, New York, Cole was an EMT and became Bard’s Director of Emergency Medical Services.

“As a 20-year-old, it was an amazing opportunity to learn on a really small scale about how to deliver healthcare to a community,” Cole said. “Since college, it’s been my area of interest – how does the service of healthcare get delivered to the people who need it?”

Dr. Elia R. Cole, DO, MPH

Cole learned more when she spent one of her collegiate summers in Lima, Peru, as an intern at a pediatric surgery unit in an urban hospital.

“It was a wonderful character-building experience, but I came back and wanted to shift my learning environment to something that was more local, which focused on the vast medical needs we have in this country.”

That shift led her to Frontier Nursing University’s (FNU) Courier program in Hyden, Kentucky, in the summer of 2009. The Courier Program was started in 1928 by FNU founder Mary Breckinridge, who recruited young people to work in the Kentucky mountains and learn about service to humanity. In the early days, Couriers escorted guests safely through remote terrain, delivered medical supplies to remote outpost clinics, and helped nurse-midwives during home visits and births. Today, the Courier Program Public Health Internship is a service-learning experience that provides an opportunity for students interested in

public health, healthcare, or related fields to see what it is like to provide medical care to an underserved population. It was exactly the rural, underserved experience that Cole had been looking for.

“It felt like I was stepping back into history, especially because I was pretty excited to learn in a place where Mary Breckinridge once stood, a place that was part of the history of American Public Health,” said Cole, who was also working on a comparative analysis of wellness as a concept and how it was being perceived in rural, mountainous communities. “I did field site interviews and observations in Hyden and throughout much of Leslie County. I mapped all the community services in Leslie County. Many people invited me into their homes and let me record them and our conversations about this concept of wellness. I compared this area to Greene County in the Catskill Mountains region of New York, which was somewhat less rural but, at the time, comparable on a financial resource level. It was really interesting to think about how resources were being utilized to promote this concept of wellness through diet and exercise. That whole experience was deeply humbling. One man I interviewed offered a response that I carry with me in my thoughts to this day. He said, ‘People just try to survive here. They’re not worried about wellness’.”

Cole’s ties to the Courier Program didn’t end when that summer ended -- they were just beginning. Since then, even as her medical career has progressed and she has moved across the country, Cole has stayed connected. She has come back occasionally for opening or closing sessions of the program or to give presentations, has served on the Courier Advisory Committee, and has been a mentor to other Couriers.

“I am the first physician in my family, so it is not lost on me how challenging it can be to come from a rural or underserved background and work your way into this profession. The process of becoming a clinician takes a tremendous amount of effort and resources to be able to finally arrive at the point where you are delivering care to others. I have seen firsthand the power that mentoring relationships can have to facilitate this journey. Any time I have had the chance to speak with Couriers about where they are on their professional paths, it has been a welcomed opportunity,” Cole said.

After her experience as a Courier, Cole continued on to study public health at Boston University and attended medical school at Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences in Yakima, Washington. As a third- and fourth-year medical student, Cole was assigned clinical rotations based out of Fairbanks, Alaska. There, her rural healthcare experience included traveling to remote villages, where she learned to provide healthcare with limited resources.

“Alaska was an amazing place to be a medical student,” Cole said. “In my third year, I did a rural health rotation in Alaska, which means something different from rural health in the lower 48. This was in a little town called Galena. It was a town of 450 or so people. My supervising physician there held a clinic in town but would also travel to the other nearby villages, sometimes via snowmobile on the Yukon River..”

Further clinical rotations took Cole across the country, including the Midwest and the Navajo Nation. These varied experiences of life in America fueled Cole’s desire to deliver healthcare to rural and underserved populations.

In 2018, Cole began residency with Kaiser Permanente in California. As a resident, she dedicated her research to studying telemedicine. This work focused on teaching medical learners to care for people in the virtual setting safely. After residency, she joined Northwest Permanente, which had been providing virtual care to residents of Washington and Oregon prior to the pandemic. She does a blend of urgent care and primary care, all virtually from her own home.

“In my current practice, I see everything from people who are in the early stages of labor and are not really sure whether they should come into the hospital yet, to family members calling on behalf of people in hospice who transitioned to hospice on a Friday and it’s Saturday afternoon and they can’t get ahold of somebody in the clinic, and they have questions,” Cole said. “I’ve had patients who present with serious acute medical conditions and others who just need treatment for something simple like pink eye.”

Cole recognizes the irony of providing care from home but also sees the connection between the care that telehealth provides

and the original purpose of rural health programs like the Courier program.

“Telemedicine is a really interesting way of delivering some types of care,” she said. “In my mind, it’s kind of an extension of Mary Breckinridge’s approach to delivering healthcare in rural areas or in areas where otherwise patients would have limited access to healthcare. This is a way of seeing people in their homes. It’s not through horseback, but it’s a virtual form of horseback, I suppose.”

It is a classic case of studying history to prepare for the future. The mode of delivery has changed from horseback to jeep to computer, but the end goal is the same.

“I constantly think about how to innovate in the physical space of delivering healthcare,” Cole said. “What does the next phase of innovation in American healthcare delivery look like? How can we do better as a country to keep people healthy? This type of thinking is a way to blend my clinical background with public health principles. I am excited to cultivate creative thinking and innovation with the goal of improving our delivery of healthcare.”

Homecoming 2024

JANICE BOVÉE

2024 Lifetime Service Award Recipient

You could say that Janice Bovée, MSN, CNM (Class 22), was born to be a nurse. After all, when she was just four years old, she was drawing pictures of nurses, doctors, pregnant women, and babies.

“I would dress up with a paper white nurse cap, a bathrobe worn backward as a hospital gown, collect all my dolls in my imaginary nursery, and look at my pediatrician and his nurse with deep respect and seriousness when my siblings or I had office visits,” Bovée said.

Born in Mesa, Arizona, Bovée attended St. Mary’s High School in downtown Phoenix. Her interest in nursing seemingly never waned.

“I was fortunate to know my destiny very early in my life,” Bovée said. “When I was 10 years old, I begged my mother to sign me up at the local nursing home as a candy-striper volunteer. However, I was too young for the program. I finally became a candy-striper through the American Red Cross program at age 16.”

The experience only strengthened her resolve to become a nurse. Once she had her driver’s license, she would go to the hospital and watch the babies, nurses, and doctors through the nursery windows.

After graduating from high school, Bovée got married and had her first child. She also enrolled in a junior college nursing program.

“I remember sitting in a nursing classroom, enjoying the lecture, and feeling my baby move,” she said. “My labor and birth were quick and intense, a surprise breech baby, and a new awareness of what childbearing involved. I was still recovering from the work of it when I learned that I was expecting again nine months later.”

Janice Bovée, MSN, CNM (Class 22)

Bovée graduated with an associate degree in nursing at the same time her second child turned one year old in 1978. She began working as an RN in labor and delivery and the emergency room at a small, rural hospital nearby. As she gained experience, she also worked in newborn and pediatric ICUs, operating rooms, and office clinical sites.

“I absolutely loved the labor and delivery and emergency departments,” Bovée said. “I actually worked from 3-11 p.m. in the emergency department and then went upstairs to work 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. in labor and delivery. I did this for years just because I loved the work.”

When she was 31 years old, Bovée went back to school for her bachelor’s degree. She had thoughts about going to medical school to become an obstetrician but ultimately realized that she truly wanted to be a nursemidwife. She put that plan on hold until,

at the age of 43, she went back to school to become a nurse-midwife. She was living and working in rural Washington state at the time, so Frontier’s Community-based NurseMidwifery Education Program was the ideal solution to allow her to continue to work while also pursuing her degree.

“I was in class number 22,” Bovée said. “What a fabulous experience that was! The two trips to Hyden for the Frontier and Clinical Bounds were highlights in my life. It was educational and inspiring. I called it Midwife Cheer Camp, and it was dynamic. For Frontier Bound, there was a severe snowstorm, and several of us students were stuck at the Lexington Airport waiting for transportation to Hyden. We waited, worried and disappointed. Then suddenly, here comes a school bus with chains on all tires. The doors opened, and there stood Kitty Ernst hollering at us to get in. She had an ice chest full of drinks and snacks, the heater making the bus cozy, and she laughed, talked, and taught us Frontier midwife songs all the way to Hyden. It was quite a priceless orientation to Frontier.”

During the clinical portion of the nursemidwifery program, Bovée was precepted by Susan Dennis, who was also a graduate of FNU’s nurse-midwifery program.

She was fabulous and gave me all her attention and mentorship,” Bovée said. “We worked in a migrant farmer-workers’ clinic and attended hundreds of births, primarily speaking Spanish only. I became fluent in Spanish, which continues to be a blessing.”

Bovée also learned how important of a role preceptors play. It was a lesson that she took to heart and paid forward by precepting and mentoring “hundreds of nurses and student nurse-midwives” over the remainder of her

career. In total, Bovée worked 43 years as a Registered Nurse and was a Certified NurseMidwife for 23 years.

“I had the privilege of ‘catching’ 1,867 babies and assisted physicians in over 500 cesarean sections,” said Bovée, who moved back to Arizona in 2001. “I have served in nursing leadership at the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the Arizona Nurses Association, and the Arizona State Board of Nursing. I have had the best nursing career ever.”

Back in Arizona, she worked with a large OB/GYN physician-owned practice for five years, then initiated a group prenatal care program that had the support of the physician owner. That program eventually became a nurse-midwifery service with six full-time CNMs.

“The hospital where we had privileges was happy with our service,” Bovée said. “The administrators and physicians at the hospital came around to understanding the benefits and qualities of nurse-midwifery care. It involved years of persuasion and persistence. It involved countless revisions of nurse-

midwifery documents involving policy, procedure, and delineation of privileges. I consistently worked to be present at the table or at decision-making events. It took us 13 years to get permission for us to have student nurse-midwives in the hospital. I consider this my legacy. My colleagues call me the ‘Pioneer Midwife’ in the east valley, and I am honored to have this title.”

While retired from practice, Bovée lives with and cares for her mother. She also sits on the Arizona Board of Nursing Advanced Practice Advisory Committee and has served as the local chapter president for the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

“I am the happiest woman alive,” Bovée said. “I am grateful, healthy, loved, and ready for my next journey. I am forever a midwife!”

Homecoming 2024

SANDI MELLOR

2024 Distinguished Preceptor Award Recipient

Growing up in her hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dr. Sandi Mellor, DNP (Class 30), APRN, FNP-BC, knew at a young age that she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare so she could “help people get healthy and stay healthy.” Determined to do just that, she took a medical-surgical nursing class while still in high school. After high school, she worked towards her associate degree in nursing and worked as a nurse for three years for the National Health Authority in Bedford, England, where her husband was stationed as a member of the U.S. Air Force.

“I thought I wanted to be a physician, but after taking my first nursing medical-surgical class in high school, I fell in love with being with the patients,” said Mellor, who has worked as a nurse for almost thirty years.

Upon returning to the United States, she went back to school and earned a bachelor of science in nursing in 1998. While raising two sons, she worked in the cardiac intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, and neonatal intensive care unit, as well as the trauma and emergency room. She recognized that many of these patients required not only emergency or urgent care but also primary care management of their comorbidities. Inspired to serve the underserved, she went back to school to become a family nurse practitioner. She earned her FNP in 2004, the same year she and her husband had a baby daughter.

They moved back to Tulsa in 2007, where Mellor began training internal medicine residents how to be providers. She also began precepting FNP students. She left the resident clinic setting in January 2010 to open her first family practice, where she found more opportunities to precept and teach BSN and FNP students while

Dr. Sandi Mellor, DNP (Class 30), APRN, FNP-BC

serving the underserved. At her clinic, Mellor accepts those on Medicaid or without insurance and has Spanish-speaking translators on staff to help make sure all are welcome. At the second clinic that she opened, Neighborhood Medical Clinic, Mellor provides both family and urgent care.

“I always wanted to serve the underserved and felt called to nursing,” Mellor said. “I can see the entire family and treat them, with or without insurance. I can give free care to families. I see one child that has strep throat, and I can see the other children in the family and the parents and do not have to charge each of them because I own the practice.”

Mellor’s practice not only provides essential service to the community but also serves as a training ground for others who follow in her footsteps. She is eager to precept students, including approximately a dozen from Frontier Nursing University, with a time commitment of nearly 600 hours per student.

“I decided to earn my DNP from Frontier Nursing University as I had precepted so many students from there and found it to be a very prestigious program,” said Mellor, who earned her DNP in 2019. “Their FNP students were prepared and knowledgeable. I also researched the DNP program, and it was and still is one of the top in the nation. (FNU Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice Program) Dr. Khara’ Jefferson (DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CHC) was patient and guided me to “trust the process”, and I was able to complete a project I was truly proud of that is still in use today. I was able to make a change in a vulnerable population and serve the underserved. It has helped me guide Quality Improvement projects at my clinic, teach in the FNP/DNP programs, and always encourage others to maintain the highest standards of nursing by continuing their education.”

Not only has the passion that Mellor had for nursing and helping others as a child never waned, but it has grown stronger and deeper as she has seen the impact that she can have in her community and beyond.

“I enjoy teaching and precepting because I get to see the ‘aha’ moments where the theory/didactic and practice guidelines make sense in clinical practice,” Mellor said. “I get to see the growth of a student becoming what they dreamed of earning – their RN or FNP qualifications. I get to influence and help the next generation of nurse practitioners to maintain our high standards and continue to improve the quality of healthcare for all. I get to be part of the positive change in healthcare as NPs increase their presence and roles in providing care for everyone.”

In addition to teaching through precepting, Mellor also has ventured into course

development and classroom teaching. She wrote the FNP courses and taught the first three graduating classes from the University of Tulsa FNP program. She has also worked with Oral Roberts University and the University of Oklahoma.

“It is a way to give back to the nursing profession that has given me so much and fulfilled my calling,” Mellor said. “I want to write a book about nurses, and I hope I can continue to work as a nurse practitioner, precept, and teach all levels of nursing as well. I am interested in earning my PMHNP certification as well as continuing to serve my community. I will continue to advocate for full-practice authority and showcase the benefits nurse practitioners bring to bridging the gap in healthcare.”

Her advocacy efforts have included volunteering for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) FNP content expert panel. To date, she has served on the panel for six years, including two as the elected chair of the panel.

“Nurses have to be the change we need in healthcare,” Mellor said, explaining her interest in being an advocate. “We are the largest population and the most trusted for many reasons. So we must be the ones to lead those positive changes towards improvement.”

And to help people get healthy and stay healthy.

“I

decided to earn my DNP from Frontier Nursing University as I had precepted so many students from there and found it to be a very prestigious program.”

— Dr. Sandi Mellor DNP

Dr. Sandi Mellor (left) receives the Distinguished Preceptor Award from Stephanie Boyd, Director of Clinical Outreach and Placement.

Frontier Nursing University Welcomes Two New Board Members

Frontier Nursing University announced the addition of two new members of the Board of Directors. The Board, led by Chair Dr. Michael Carter, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP/GNP-BC, formally approved Elaine Bolle, MB, BA, and Michael Steinmetz, CPM, CMA, CSCA, as its newest members.

“We are extremely happy to welcome Elaine and Michael to the Board of Directors,” Dr. Carter said. “They both have strong ties to Frontier Nursing University and believe in and support our mission. They are both highly knowledgeable and dedicated leaders who bring many great attributes to our Board.”

Over her career, Elaine Bolle has served as CEO, board director, and advisor, leading domestic and global organizations from start-ups to $750M+ enterprises. This includes senior management roles in strategic marketing and brand management, business development, sales, fund-raising, mergers, and acquisitions. She is an active angel investor, currently focusing on early-stage entrepreneurial ventures, including serving as a founder of RTP Angel Fund and a board director of RTP Capital Associates as well as One Digital Trust. Bolle possesses industry expertise in financial services and consumer goods and services. She is an advisor to early-stage companies, assisting in strategy development, fundraising, mergers, and acquisitions. She was the Senior Vice President and General Manager for Western Union, leading the consumer payments businesses worldwide. She was also Vice President and Senior Director of Citicorp Global Payments. At Quaker Oats, she conceived, built, and managed a new wholesome snack business – the Quaker Chewy Granola Bars.

Bolle and her husband, Lester Levine, live in Chapel Hill, N.C., and have been supporters of Frontier Nursing for many years, including funding a scholarship. Bolle is also actively involved in other non-profit organizations and is the Past Chair of the Board of Directors for Success Triangle NC. Bolle earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan.

Michael Steinmetz served as FNU’s Executive Vice President for Finance and Facilities from October 2009 to August 2022, when he retired. From August 2013 to August 2022, he also served as the Chief Financial Officer for Frontier Nursing Service, Incorporated, helping to oversee the charitable foundation’s planning and investments.

Steinmetz came to FNU after 15 years of experience with large multinational companies, providing a rich background of international experience. A 1984 graduate of the University of Kentucky

with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, Steinmetz obtained his Master of Business Administration from the same university in 1985. He became a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant. His talents and expertise led him to financial leadership positions with entities such as Coopers & Lybrand, Hitachi Automotive Products, Studio Plus Hotels, FKI Logistex, and Lexmark International, Inc., among others, before coming to Frontier.

“Frontier Nursing University is so fortunate to have a fantastic Board of Directors who not only bring a wide range of skills and knowledge to the table but just as importantly believe in our mission,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN. “Elaine Bolle and Michael Steinmetz are perfect examples of this, and we are thrilled to have them join our Board. Their guidance will be integral to the present and future success of Frontier Nursing University.”

Frontier Nursing University Appoints Two Current Students to the Board of Directors

Frontier Nursing University announced the addition of two current FNU students to the university’s Board of Directors. The Board, led by Chair Dr. Michael Carter, DNSc, DNP, FAAN, FNP/GNPBC, formally approved FNP student Kate Corbett and DNP student Bridget Ehrhart-Bennett, FNP, PMHNP, as non-voting student representatives serving one-year terms on the Board.

“We are very excited to appoint our two student Board members,” Dr. Carter said.

“Our students are not only students but also experienced healthcare professionals and leaders. They bring a unique student perspective to the Board that is invaluable in our collective decision-making.”

Kate Corbett is currently enrolled in the Family Nurse Practitioner program and is a representative on the student council. She is both American and Canadian and has worked for over 10 years in the healthcare systems of each country. Corbett, who also has management and

political science degrees, is interested in pursuing a career in higher education.

Bridget Ehrhart-Bennett is an FNU alumnus and current student. She completed the Family Nurse Practitioner program in 2010 and the PsychiatricMental Health Nurse Practitioner program in 2023. She is currently enrolled in FNU’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program and serves on the Library Committee and the Communications Committee as a student representative for DNP students. Ehrhart-Bennett has previously served on Frontier’s Diversity Impact Planning Committee as well as the Honor Code Council. She also has experience as a mentor, adjunct faculty, and preceptor.

“Frontier Nursing University is committed to making informed, datadriven decisions to best serve our students as guided by our mission,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN. “There is no better way to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students than to include these impressive, accomplished student representatives in the highest level of our leadership structure.”

Frontier Nursing University Names Dr. Nancy Pesta Walsh as Clinical Director of the Department of Family Nursing

the Department of Family Nursing,” said FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN. “In this role, her experience and expertise as a clinician and educator will be of tremendous value to our students and to the university as a whole.”

Dr. Pesta Walsh, who also serves as a family nurse practitioner at Hutchinson Health in Hutchison, Minnesota, earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of Saint Benedict in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. She went on to obtain both her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degrees from FNU in 2008 and 2010, respectively. She obtained a post-doctoral certificate as a PsychiatricMental Health Nurse Practitioner from Brandman University in 2020.

will help prepare our students to provide highly skilled and compassionate care.”

Dr. Pesta Walsh started her teaching career at Frontier in 2010 as a course faculty member and later course coordinator in the Family Nurse Practitioner program. Since 2014, she has served as a Regional Clinical Faculty member and, most recently, as the Interim Clinical Director in the Department of Family Nursing.

Frontier Nursing University announced that Dr. Nancy Pesta Walsh, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP- BC, has accepted the position of Clinical Director for the Department of Family Nursing. Dr. Walsh has been a faculty member at FNU since 2010.

“We are very excited to announce Dr. Pesta Walsh as our Clinical Director for

“I am thrilled that Dr. Pesta Walsh has accepted this very important role at Frontier,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM. “There is an urgent need for more highly skilled and trained nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives to help address healthcare gaps and shortages across the country. Dr. Pesta Walsh’s great passion for teaching

“It is my great privilege to accept the position of Clinical Director for the Department of Family Nursing at Frontier,” Dr. Pesta Walsh said. “The impact of quality clinical education for our students ultimately extends into the communities they serve. It is both a privilege and an honor to be part of an institution that is dedicated to preparing family nurse practitioners who are not only competent but also deeply compassionate and committed to providing high-quality patient-centered care.”

“I am thrilled that Dr. Pesta Walsh has accepted this very important role at Frontier…Dr. Pesta Walsh’s great passion for teaching will help prepare our students to provide highly skilled and compassionate care.”

— FNU President Dr. Susan Stone CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM

Dr. Nancy Pesta Walsh, DNP, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC

Dr. Susan Piper Named As Clinical Director of the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program

“We are very happy to announce Dr. Piper as our Clinical Director for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program,” said FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN. “Her expertise and leadership will be a tremendous asset to this rapidly growing and essential program.”

PMHNP program Department Chair Dr. Kevin Scalf, DNP, PMNHP-BC, CNEcl, welcomes Dr. Piper back into the role she previously held before the COVID pandemic when personal demands largely related to her service in the National Guard caused her to step away. Dr. Piper has also served as Regional Clinical Faculty and as a Clinical Bound Team Leader at Frontier.

psychiatric-mental healthcare throughout our country.”

Dr. Piper received a Master of Science in Nursing from Western Kentucky University in 2010, emphasizing nursing education. In 2016, she received a postmaster's certificate focused on psychiatricmental health. She was awarded a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from Murray State University in 2018. Dr. Piper served 32 years in the Kentucky National Guard and was the Chief Nurse for the Kentucky National Guard’s Mobile Vaccination Team during the COVID pandemic.

Frontier Nursing University announced that Dr. Susan Piper, DNP, APRN, PMHNP- BC, has accepted the position of Clinical Director for the PsychiatricMental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Program. Dr. Piper has been a faculty member at FNU since 2018.

“Dr. Piper has performed at the highest levels throughout her career at Frontier,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM. “Her knowledge and experience are of great value to our students, who graduate wellprepared to help address the vast need for

“I am honored to accept the position of Clinical Director for the PsychiatricMental Health Nurse Practitioner program at Frontier Nursing University,” Dr. Piper said. “Our students are so talented and so eager to learn. Working with them, Dr. Scalf and everyone at Frontier is a joy. We are devoted to preparing our students to be caring, compassionate, and highly-trained psychiatric-mental healthcare nurse practitioners who positively impact their communities.”

“We are very happy to announce Dr. Piper as our Clinical Director for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program…Her expertise and leadership will be a tremendous asset to this rapidly growing and essential program.”

— FNU President Dr. Susan Stone CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM

Dr. Susan Piper, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC

News and Notes

Dr. Audrey Perry Receives AgriSafe Nurse Scholar Occupational Health Nurses Scholarship Award

In April, it was announced that FNU

Associate Professor Audrey Perry DNP, M.Ed(c), CNM, APRN, A-GNP-C, CNE, FACNM, has been selected as a recipient of the AgriSafe Nurse Scholar Occupational Health Nurses Scholarship Award. The scholarship covers the entire cost for Dr. Perry to participate in the AgriSafe Network Nurse Scholar Program. The program is a distance learning opportunity designed for rural nurses. Experienced health and safety educators share their expertise in the prevention, identification, and assessment of diseases related to agricultural work exposures. AgriSafe was formed in 2003 by rural nurses who believed that together they could improve the health and safety of farmers and ranchers. By building the competency of health and safety professionals to deliver exceptional occupational agricultural health care, AgriSafe believes agricultural injuries, diseases, and fatalities can be prevented.

FNU Case Day Held in North Carolina

In April, it was announced that FNU Associate Professor Audrey Perry DNP, M.Ed(c), CNM, APRN, A-GNP-C, CNE, FACNM, has been selected as a recipient of the AgriSafe Nurse Scholar Occupational Health Nurses Scholarship Award. The scholarship covers the entire cost for Dr. Perry to participate in the AgriSafe Network Nurse Scholar Program. The program is a distance learning opportunity designed for rural nurses. Experienced health and safety educators share their expertise in the prevention, identification, and assessment of diseases related to agricultural work exposures.

FNU Board member Elaine Bolle (left) and her husband Lester Levine hosted a Case Day on March 12 in Durham, N.C.

FNU Launches Latinx Student Interest Group

In 2022, FNU created five Student Interest Groups (SIGs) in response to students’ expressed desire to have a formalized way to connect with other students. Earlier this year, a new SIG was formed. The Latinx Student Interest Group held its first meeting on March 5. The SIGs are studentrun, with faculty members serving as facilitators during meetings. The meetings are held online but are not recorded, and

minutes are not taken, allowing for free, open, and brave conversations.

FNU’s SIGs are:

• Latinx Students in Nursing

• LGBTQIA+ Students in Nursing

• Men in Nursing

• Military/Veterans in Nursing

• Neurodivergent Students in Nursing

• Students of Color in Nursing

FNU Students Exceed Pass Rate National Averages

FNU students excelled on the recently released 2023 board exam pass rates. Below are the comparative pass rates for each of the following programs:

• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse

• Practitioner (PMHNP)

• Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)

• Community-based Nurse-midwifery Education Program (CNEP)

• Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)

Frontier Faculty Present at Kentucky

Association of Nurse Practitioners & Nurse-Midwives

The annual Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners & Nurse-Midwives Conference was held in Lexington, KY, April 23-26. FNU Clinical Bound Team Leader Dr. Cathy Cook, DNP, APRNFPA, CNM, FACNM, and Course

Conference

Faculty Dr. Vicki Burslam, MSN, APRN, CNM, CNEcl, FACNM, presented “GYN Update: Breast & Cervical Cancer Screening and STI Screening and Treatment.” Dr. Deborah Karsnitz, DNP, CNM, FANCM, CNE, and Dr. Dee

Polito, DNP, CNM, FACNM, taught on “Perinatal Cardiovascular Care.” Dr. Angela Mitchell, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, presented “Beyond Your Clinical Note.”

Dr. Dee Polito (left) and Dr. Vicki Burslam

Dr. Cathy Cook (left) and Dr. Vicki Burslam

Dr. Dee Polito (left) and Dr. Deborah Karsnitz

Dr. Angela Mitchell

News and Notes

FNU Celebrates Earth Day

On Monday, April 22, FNU celebrated Earth Day with faculty and staff gathering to plant tree seedlings and install a pollinator strip in the newly established bird sanctuary along the campus walking trail. The event was directed by FNU Lead Groundskeeper Susan Capley.

Chief Operations Officer Shelley Aldridge Celebrates 25 Years at Frontier

FNU President Dr. Susan Stone presents Shelley Aldridge with her 25th Anniversary pin.

In February, FNU held a ceremony in recognition of Chief Operations Officer Shelley Aldridge’s 25th anniversary at Frontier Nursing University.

Amanda Revely Graduates from Leadership Central Kentucky

FNU staff member Amanda Revely graduated from Leadership Central Kentucky. This regional program seeks to build a network of informed citizens connected across community lines. The curriculum provides leadership development, education on issues facing the region, relationship-building opportunities, and a chance to gain awareness of the uniqueness of each county making up the region.

Amanda Revely, Clinical Credentialing Coordinator

Dr. Susan Stone Presents at the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce’s Health + Wellness Roundtable

FNU President Dr. Susan Stone gave a presentation about the maternal mortality crisis in Kentucky at the May meeting of the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce’s Health + Wellness Roundtable.

FNU Awards Scholarship to Local High School Student

For the second consecutive year, Frontier Nursing University awarded the Frontier Nursing University Scholarship this spring. This $1,000 scholarship, which was established in 2023, is awarded annually to a graduating senior at Woodford County High School who intends to pursue a career in nursing. FNU Director of Annual Giving and Courier Programs Lisa Colletti-Jones presented the scholarship to Falyn Gooslin at the award ceremony in May.

FNU Staff Members

Complete Woodford Leadership Academy

FNU staff members Brittany Bachman, Megan Cadwell, Eileen Frazier, and Erica Schroeder, completed the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce’s Woodford Leadership Academy. The Academy, which includes five monthly workshops, is a skill-based, hands-on leadership academy designed to enhance and prepare the leaders of tomorrow.

Frontier Featured in Smithsonian Magazine

A feature article about the Frontier Nursing Service was published in Smithsonian Magazine in March. The article titled “Why Debutantes Volunteered to Be Horse-Riding Couriers in Rural Kentucky” is available on the Smithsonianmag.com website.

FNU Director of Annual Giving and Courier Programs Lisa Colletti-Jones (left) and Frontier Nursing University Scholarship recipient Falyn Gooslin.

Brittany Bachman, Clinical Services Coordinator

Eileen Frazier, Executive Assistant

Megan Cadwell, Assistant Director of Clinical Credentialing

Erica Schroeder, Academic Advisor

As a valued member of our alumni community, your insights and experiences are incredibly important to us. That’s why we hope you’ll take a few minutes to fill out FNU’s 2024 alumni survey.

This survey aims to gather feedback on your experiences

since graduation, your thoughts on your alma mater, and how we can better serve our alumni community. Your input will help us understand the evolving needs and preferences of our alumni, enabling us to tailor our programs, events, and communications more effectively.

Check with an admissions counselor to see if you are eligible for the Companion DNP program. Don’t miss your opportunity to save $6,000! Contact FNUadmissions@frontier.edu or visit frontier.edu/dnp

Your participation will only take a few minutes, but the impact of your feedback will be invaluable in shaping the future of our alumni engagement initiatives. Your responses will be used solely for the purpose of improving our alumni engagement efforts.

We greatly appreciate your time and willingness to contribute to the continued success of our alumni community.

The Frontier Nursing Service was created in 1925. Next year, we are celebrating with our Alumni and Friends Cruise. Join us aboard Royal Caribbean's Utopia of the Seas, April 18-21, 2025. Departing from Orlando, Florida (Port Canaveral) on April 18, you'll enjoy three nights with visits to Nassau and CocoCay in the Bahamas.

Contact The Blue Team @ The Cruise Web to book your cabin! BlueTeam@cruiseweb.com 1-276-235-6004 frontier.edu/cruise

Katelyn Blackmon Opens New Women’s Health Clinic

Katelyn Blackmon recently opened EmpowerHer Women’s Care Clinic in McCordsville, Indiana, focusing on menopause and gynecological services. Her practice is a boutique-style office with tea, coffee, and water available at checkin.

Victoria Buchanan Serves as Panelist for Birthing Care Solutions Discussion

In February, Victoria Buchanan, CNM, DNP (Class 40), was one of four panelists leading a Pulitzer Center webinar exploring communityoriented and culturally grounded birthing care solutions. Buchanan is a CNM at Sentara Midwifery Specialists in Hampton, Virginia.

Chantal Dengah Receives Rising Star Award

The University of Colorado College of Nursing Alumni Association announced that Chantal Dengah, DNP (Class 47), CNM, will be presented with the Rising Star Award during the awards ceremony on June 5.

Dr. Dengah serves as a nurse-midwife at the Stride Community Health Center in Aurora, Colorado, and is an adjunct professor at CU’s College of Nursing.

Munson Healthcare Welcomes Noel DeShano

In February, Noel DeShano, MSN, FNP (Bridge 180), joined Munson Healthcare’s Manistee Primary Care in Manistee, Michigan. She is particularly passionate about women’s health and reproductive health.

SHARE YOUR STORY…

2025 will mark the 100-year anniversary of the inception of the Frontier Nursing Service. We want to celebrate by capturing and sharing the countless stories that make up our history. Whatever your connection to FNU, we want to hear your Frontier story. Please scan the QR code to share your story and help us celebrate all FNU has accomplished.

The Frontier Nursing University Office of Alumni Relations is here to support YOU! Our purpose is to offer helpful programs and services that support our graduates. Alumni are an integral part of FNU’s development because you demonstrate the excellence of FNU in everyday practice. You are also our primary recruiters and most loyal donors. We deeply appreciate your commitment to FNU.

The Alumni Association is open to all graduates of FNU. We currently have more than 8,000 alumni in all 50 states and many countries around the world. We encourage you to explore the services, programs, and activities offered and become involved. There are several ways to stay in touch with friends and connect to FNU, including conference receptions, case days, e-newsletters, and the FNU Alumni Facebook Group. Please ensure we have your most recent contact information to take advantage of all member services. Email us at alumniservices@frontier. edu.

Alumni News & Notes

Joins Magnolia Obstetrics and Gynecology Welcomes Paige Falgout

Magnolia Obstetrics and Gynecology in Hammond, Louisiana, recently welcomed Paige Falgout, CNM (Class 185).

Magnolia Obstetrics and Gynecology is a department of North Oaks Medical Center.

Southcoast Health Welcomes Kara Frade

Kara Frade, CNM (Class 202), recently joined Southcoast Health Obstetrics & Gynecology in New Bedford, Massachusettes. She began her career at Southcoast Health as an intern in high school and later served as a CNA and an RN.

Torica Fuller Presents at North Carolina Nurses Association Spring Symposium

FNU alumnus and current faculty member

Torica Fuller, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FNP-C, WHNPBC (Class 201), CDP, CGRN, CPN, NRCME, presented on back-to-back days at the North Carolina Nurses Association Nurse Practitioner Spring Symposium in March. Dr. Fuller’s presentations were titled “Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health” and “HIV/AIDS: Let’s Talk About PREVENTION!”

Stephanie Horton Joins Lakeview Family Care

Lakeview Family Care in Decatur, Michigan, recently welcomed Stephanie Horton, MSN, FNP (Class 199). Horton has special interest in pediatrics and women’s health.

Chesapeake Health Care Welcomes Sujata Malla

Sujata Malla, PMHNP, DNP (Class 54), recently joined the Behavioral Health Team at Chesapeake Health Care in Salisbury, Maryland, as a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Megan Matthews Joins

Pomerene Certified Nurse Midwives

Pomerene Certified Nurse-Midwives in Millersburg, Ohio, recently welcomed Megan Matthews, CNM (Class 199). In her role, Matthews will support women from

We are looking to spotlight FNU community members in our blog! Tell us your story by scanning the QR code and filling out the form or email stories@frontier.edu. Then, someone will contact you soon. These spotlight stories help us shine a light on all of the amazing accomplishments and the impact our community members have on their home communities and the University community.

puberty through menopause. She says she is passionate about pregnancy and birth and has wanted to be a midwife since she was 4 years old.

Tammie McDonald-Brouwer and Melody Mast Open Plena Integrative Health Center

Tammie McDonald Brouwer (left) and Melody Mast

FNU alumni

Tammie McDonald Brouwer, CNM, WHNP (Class 64), and Melody Mast, CNM, WHNP (Class 64) opened Plena Integrative Health Center in Harrison, Virginia, in October 2023. The health center specializes in gynecological and primary care services.

Rhonda Parker Receives 2024 AANP State Award for Excellence in West Virginia

FNU alumnus Rhonda Parker, DNP (Class 08), FNP-C, PHMN-BC, is the recipient of the 2024 American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) State Award for Excellence in West Virginia. The State Award for Excellence is given annually to a nurse practitioner in each state who demonstrates excellence in clinical care. Awards are distributed to the recipients throughout the year, with recipients honored during AANP’s annual national conference.

Parker will receive her award in June at the 2024 AANP National Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Parker is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with the Barbour Community Health Association in West Virginia. She also owns Mountain Healing, a retreatstyle practice designed to help Healthcare and Mental Health providers process compassion fatigue and burnout.

“The fact that I’m being recognized for doing a job that I love and care so much about is incredible to me,” Parker said. “As a nurse practitioner, I have an opportunity and distinct ability to make a direct, positive impact on human life. I attribute my success to a great medical team and the patients who have trusted me and allowed me to participate in their care. I’m thankful for everything that’s happened in my life.”

Jill Prickel Joins Tree City Medical Partners

Tree City Medical Partners in Greensburg, Indiana, recently welcomed Jill Prickel, FNP-C (Bridge 126). She specializes in family medicine and offers primary care to patients five years and above, with a continued focus on wellness, chronic care, acute care, and geriatric care. Prickel previously provided care to patients in local nursing homes.

Catherine Rae Shields Publishes Book

Catherine Rae Shields, CNM (Class 04), recently published Into My Hands: A Midwife’s Memoir. The book is “an inspiring memoir that delves into the life of a passionate midwife, tracing her path from childhood to her fulfilling career in midwifery.” Shields joined FNU’s faculty in 2011 as regional clinical faculty. She is now retired and resides in Idaho.

Spectrum Zeeland Welcomes Katie Steele

Katie Steele, CNM (Class 179), recently accepted a new position at Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital in Zeeland, Michigan. After working as an RN at Zeeland for

20 years, she has now joined the Spectrum Health Medical Group’s OB-GYN team, which expanded to include nurse-midwifery services.

Ashley Taylor Joins

Southern Tennessee Regional Health System

Southern Tennessee Regional Health System recently welcomed Ashley Taylor, MSN, CNM, WHNP (Class 205), to its medical staff at the Women’s Health Clinic in Lawrenceburg. Taylor specializes in labor and delivery, prenatal care, postpartum care, contraception management, and adolescent well-woman gynecological care.

Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Welcomes Brooke Raidmae and Carolyn Wetzel

Brooke Raidmae, CNM (Class 113), and Carolyn Wetzel, CNM, DNP (Companion DNP Class 5), recently joined Kaiser Permanente Hawaii’s Wailuku Medical Office, where they will provide maternity care.

Stay in the Know

Elsie Maier Wilson Authors Book

Elsie Maier Wilson, CNM, ARNP, BC, MSN, who completed the nurse-midwifery program at the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery, recently released her book, Adventures of a Midwife: Finding Joy on the Journey. The book relates the challenges Wilson had in becoming a nurse-midwife in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and the rainforests of Congo, Africa. Wilson, who served as Dean at Frontier from 1977-78, received Frontier’s Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award in 2021.

Cara Wolf Gives Research Day Presentation

In February, Cara Wolf, DNP (Class 46), CNM, gave a poster presentation at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital’s Research Day event.

We know you want to stay informed about all that is happening at FNU. To make sure you don’t miss communications such as the Quarterly Bulletin or our monthly e-newsletters, please take a moment to make sure we have your updated contact information. Please send your updated contact information, including your preferred email address, phone number, and mailing address, to alumniservices@frontier.edu. Thank you!

Carolyn Wetzel

Brooke Raidmae

Introducing the 2024 Frontier Couriers

The 2024 Frontier Courier Program Public Health Internship program will include eight college students from across the country. The program is a seven-week hybrid internship designed to meet the needs of today’s students. The program will have two phases: Remote Learning and In-Person observations. Students will begin in the county of their residence and then moveto the FNU

Janya Allen

Preferred Name: Janya Pronouns: She/her

School: University of Chicago

Hometown: Chicago, IL

Major/Minor: Neuroscience and Pre-Medicine

Dream Job: Rural Physician in Neurology or Neurosurgery Courier Program: Joining the Courier Program closely aligns with my desire to observe medicine and clinical practices in a setting like rural Kentucky. I look forward to engaging with the community, immersing myself in a small town (as opposed to a big city), and cultivating a better understanding of how to serve patients.

Avery Hanel

Preferred Name: Avery Pronouns: She/her School: Western Kentucky University

Hometown: Louisville, KY

Major/Minor: Nursing

Dream Job: Pediatric Nurse Courier Program: I hope to grow in my knowledge of public health and treating patients in rural areas.

Catherine Craig

Preferred Name: Catherine Pronouns: She/her/hers

School: Bucknell University

Hometown: Mansfield, PA

Major/Minor: Psychology & Economics

Dream Job: Physician Assistant Courier Program: I wanted to join the Courier program because of the focus on medically underserved communities and the opportunity to explore the challenges specific to rural public health and healthcare. My goal is to integrate the experiences and insights I will gain this summer into improving the lives of those whom I may encounter and care for in the future as a medical provider.

Anna Sullivan

Preferred Name: Anna Pronouns: She/her

School: University of Iowa

Hometown: Tinley Park, IL

Major/Minor: Public Health

Dream Job: Department of Child and Family Services

Courier Program: To see firsthand what healthcare looks like in rural communities.

campus in Versailles, Kentucky, to complete their internship. When they arrive on the FNU campus, they will utilize what they have learned from their summer reading, discussions, and projects while observing clinical host sites in and around Woodford County. Courier students will also participate in volunteer days and explore the surrounding areas in Kentucky.

Samantha Jones

Preferred Name: Sami

Pronouns: She/her/hers

School: University of Kentucky

Hometown: Charlotte, NC

Major/Minor: Public Health

Dream Job: Pediatric Asthma and Allergy Specialist

Courier Program: I’m really interested in pursuing a career in rural medicine and thought this program would be an amazing opportunity for me to get first-hand experience with rural public health clinics in Kentucky.

Mia Simpson

Preferred Name: Mia Pronouns: She/her School: Washington & Jefferson College

Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA

Major/Minor: Psychology major with minors in Forensic Science and Social Justice

Dream Job: Clinical Forensic Psychologist

Courier Program: I am excited to learn more about public health as well as advocate for mental health for underserved communities!

Nora Oakes

Preferred Name: Nora Pronouns: She/her

School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hometown: Asheville, NC

Major/Minor: Biology

Dream Job: LD Nurse or Midwife

Courier Program: I wanted an opportunity to work in rural health care outside of my hometown and to get to work with and get to know people from all over the country. I also think it is amazing to get the opportunity to intern at a place that has had such an impact on women’s health.

Lauren Towns

Preferred Name: Lauren Pronouns: She/her

School: Kansas State University

Hometown: Derby, KS

Major/Minor: Public Health with a minor in Nutrition

Dream Job: Healthcare Program Planning

Courier Program: To experience public health from a new community perspective!

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Jana Esden / Podium presentation

Esden, J. L. (2024, April). 2024 COPD Update: GOLD guideline and spirometry review. To be presented at the Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives (KANPNM) 36th Annual Coalition Conference, Lexington, KY.

Laura Manns-James / Podium presentation

Manns-James, L. (2024). Abnormal uterine bleeding 2024: from amenorrhea to zebras. Kentucky Coalition of Nurse-Practitioners and Nurse Midwives’ 36th Regional Coalition Conference, April 25-28, 2024, Lexington, KY.

Tia Andrighetti / Podium presentation

Brogdon, S., Mitchell, A., Andrighetti, T., Szydlowski, J., & Simmons, C. (June 2024). How to Approach Competency-Based Assessment in Simulation Across Advanced Practice Nursing Specialties. International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning. Raleigh, N.C. Podium presentation.

Thillaye, J & Andrighetti, T. (June 2024). Recruitment and Retention of SPs from an EDIA/SJ lens- Let’s talk! Association of Standardized Patient Educators Annual Conference. Vancouver, British Columbia. Podium presentation.

April Phillips / Podium presentation

Phillips, A. (2023, Mar. 19). Crossing the Globe: Creating a More Inclusive Medical Workforce by Integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Concepts into the Clinical Curricula. International Conference on Problem Based Learning Pedagogies in Higher Education. Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Phillips, A. (2024, Mar. 20). Crossing the Globe: Inspiring Students Through the Integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Concepts into the Clinical Curriculum. International Institute of Education, Research and Development (IIERD), Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.

Deborah Karsnitz / Podium presentation

Karsnitz D. & Polito, D. (2024, April). Perinatal Cardiovascular Disorders. Podium presentation at the 36th Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse-Midwives Conference, Lexington, KY.

Bonni Cohen / Poster presentation

Cohen, B.S. & Reyes, A.T. (2024, January 18-24). The Lived Experience of Nurses with Two Doctoral Degrees (DNP and PhD): A Phenomenological Study [Poster Presentation]. American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Naples, Florida.

Vicky Stone-Gale / Poster presentation

Stone-Gale, V. & Weiss, S. (2024). The Art of Breaking Bad News: An FNP Student's Simulated Virtual Experience. Poster presentation for 2024 NLN Education Summit, Antonio, TX, September 18-20.

Sally Weiss / Poster presentation

Stone-Gale, V. & Weiss, S. A. (2024). The Art of Breaking Bad News: An FNP Student's Simulated Virtual Experience. NLN Summit, San Antonio, TX, September 2024.

Tia Andrighetti, CNM, APRN, CHSE-A, CNE, FACNM

Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP

Sally Weiss, EdD, APRN, FNP-C, CNE, ANEF

Bonni Cohen, PhD(c), DNP, FNP-C, ANP-C, CHFN, CNE, FAANP

Jana Esden, DNP

Deborah Karsnitz, DNP, CNM, FACNM, CNE

Laura Manns-James, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, FACNM

April Phillips, DNP, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC

Trustees

Mrs. Tia Andrew, Hamilton Parish, Bermuda

Ms. Sarah Bacon, Brooklyn, NY

Mrs. Andrea Begley, Hyden, KY

Dr. Heather Bernard, Hamilton, NY

Gov. Steven Beshear, Lexington, KY

Mrs. Betty Brown, Louisville, KY

Mrs. Amy Pennington Brudnicki, Richmond, KY

Dr. Timothy Bukowski, Chapel Hill, NC

Dr. Wallace Campbell, Berea, KY

Miss Anna Carey, Hyden, KY

Mrs. Jean Chapin, Oldwick, NJ

Mrs. Lois Cheston, Topsfield, MA

Bill Corley, Indianapolis, IN

Mrs. Julia Breckinridge Davis, Winston-Salem, NC

Mrs. Selby Ehrlich, Bedford, NY

Mrs. Robert Estill, Raleigh, NC

Mrs. Noel Smith Fernandez, Pomona, NY

Ms. Mary Ann Gill, Versailles, KY

Mr. John Grandin, Chestnut Hill, MA

Dr. Joyce Fortney Hamberg, Southgate, KY

Dr. Horace Henriques, Lyme, NH

Mr. & Mrs. John Hodge, Berwyn, PA

Mrs. Robin Frentz Isaacs, Lincoln, MA

Mrs. Rosemary Johnson, Versailles, KY

Mrs. Mary Carol Joseph, Hyden, KY

Ms. Deborah M. King, Westport, MA

Mrs. Patricia Lawrence, Westwood, MA

Mrs. Marian Leibold, Cincinnati, OH

Dr. Ruth Lubic, Washington, DC

Mr. Robert Montague, JD, Urbanna, VA

Dr. Judy Myers, Ph.D., RN, New Albany, IN

Ms. Barbara Napier, Irvine, KY

Ms. Sandra Napier, Stinnett, KY

Mr. Dean Osborne, Hyden, KY

Mrs. Helen Rentch, Midway, KY

Mrs. John Richardson, Washington, DC

Mrs. Linda Roach, Lexington, KY

Mrs. Georgia Rodes, Lexington, KY

Mrs. Sandra Schreiber, Louisville, KY

Maria Small, MD, MPH, Durham, NC

Mrs. Sherrie Rice Smith, Franklin, WI

Mrs. Austin Smithers, Lyme, NH

Mrs. Robert Steck, Arlington, MA

Mrs. Mary Clay Stites, Louisville, KY

Mr. Richard Sturgill, Paris, KY

Ms. Mary Frazier Vaughan, Lexington, KY

Mrs. LouAnne Roberts Verrier, Austin, TX

Dr. Patience White, Bethesda, MD

Ms. Vaughda Wooten, Hyden, KY

Board of Directors

CHAIR

Michael Carter, DNSc, DNP

New Orleans, LA

VICE CHAIR

Michael T. Rust Louisville, KY

SECRETARY

Nancy Hines

Shepherdsville, KY

TREASURER

Emma Metcalf, RN, MSN, CPHQ Louisville, KY

Board Members

Elaine Bolle, MB, BA, Chapel Hill, NC

Carlyle Carter, Evanston, IL

William (Bill) Corley, MHA, Carmel, IN

Vernell DeWitty, Ph.D., MBA, RN, Silver Spring, MD

Bridget Ehrhart-Bennett, Student Representative

Kate Corbett, Student Representative

Jean Johnson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Cabin John, MD

Marcus Osborne, MBA, Bentonville, AR

Tim Raderstorf, Ph.D., Columbus, OH

Joanna Santiesteban, MD, Prestonsburg, KY

Kerri Schuiling, Ph.D., CNM, FAAN, FACNM, Marquette, MI

Peter Schwartz, MD, Port St. Lucie, FL

Maria Small, MD, MPH, Durham, NC

Michael Steinmetz, CPM, CMA, CSCA, Bellevue, WA

May Wykle, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, FGSA, Cleveland, OH

Foundation Board Members

Peter Coffin, Chair, Chestnut Hill, MA

Derek Bonifer, Louisville, KY

Constance Brotherton, MA, Lexington, KY

Peter Schwartz, MD, Port St. Lucie, FL

Board Members Emeritus

Wallace Campbell, Ph.D., Berea, KY

John Foley, Lexington, KY

Marion McCartney, CNM, FACNM, Washington, DC

Nancy Fugate Woods, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Seattle, WA

Frontier Nursing University

Become a Monthly Donor TODAY!

By making a recurring gift to FNU, you are investing in the lives of Frontier students year-round. Giving monthly represents an ongoing commitment to Frontier Nursing University and student achievement. When you commit to even $5 per month, your gift will help with student scholarships, DEI programming, hands-on training materials, and so much more.

Memorial Donations

The following people gave contributions to Frontier in memory of their friends or loved ones. The names in bold are the deceased Alexis Rice Tillett

Ericka Harney

Versailles Baptist Church

Dr. Lisa Chappell

Dr. Kathleen Gardner

Kitty Ernst

Ms. Kathryn Marie Schrag

Richard & Abby Geyer

Visit frontier.edu/give-to-fnu/, use the enclosed remittance envelope, or scan the QR code above to make your first monthly gift today!

Road

KY

FNU@frontier.edu • 859.251.4700 frontier.edu Do you have a new mailing or email address?

Please