QUARTERLY BULLETIN
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Glossary of Credential Abbreviations
In the Quarterly Bulletin, we often list the abbreviated credentials of the healthcare professionals featured in these stories. While space does not permit a comprehensive list of all these credentials, here are a few of the more common ones used in the Quarterly Bulletin and their meanings:
CNEP: Community Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program
CNM: Certified Nurse-Midwife
DNP: Doctor of Nursing Practice
FNP: Family Nurse Practitioner
MSN: Master of Science in Nursing
PMHNP: Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
WHNP: Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
Frontier Nursing University Quarterly Bulletin, ISSN 0016-2116, Copyright © 2025 by Frontier Nursing University, is published quarterly by Frontier Nursing University, 2050 Lexington Road, Versailles, KY 40383. Business and Editorial Offices: 2050 Lexington Road, Versailles, KY 43083. Accounting and Circulation Offices: Frontier Nursing University, 2050 Lexington Road, Versailles, KY 43083. Periodicals postage is paid at Versailles, KY, and additional mailing offices (if applicable).
President’s Cabinet
Brooke A. Flinders, DNP, RN, APRN-CNM, FACNM President
Shelley Aldridge, BA Chief Operations Officer
Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, APRN, Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Student Success
Marc Blevins, MS, CISA
Chief Information and Digital Officer
Dr. Diane John, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, CNE
Interim Dean of Nursing
Bobbi Silver Chief Advancement Officer
Kylie Waters, CPA, MBA Chief Financial Officer
Jenkins Michelle Lawhorn, DNP, CNM, RNC-OB, Regional Clinical Faculty (faculty representative)
Chris Turley, MS, BS, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Coordinator (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, PMHNP-BC, CNEcl, Department Chair of PsychiatricMental Health
Eileen Thrower, Ph.D., APRN, CNM, CNE, FACNM
Department Chair of Midwifery and Women’s Health
Dear Friends,
We began 2025 by diving into our search for a new Dean of Nursing after Dr. Joan Slager’s retirement in February. Dr. Diane John has graciously and expertly served as the Interim Dean and will continue to do so until Dr. Kristin Ashford assumes the role on July 1. I am so thankful for the remarkable leadership and dedication that both Dr. Slager and Dr. John demonstrated, setting high standards for this vitally important position. I am extremely confident that Dr. Ashford will maintain and build upon the foundation built by her predecessors. Dr. Ashford was ultimately selected from a very impressive group of candidates. I encourage you to read more about Dr. Ashford in this issue of the Quarterly Bulletin. I’m certain you will be equally impressed by the expertise, experience, and energy that Dr. Ashford will bring to this position.
We are also well into the Presidential Tour, having made stops in Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida already, with many more to come. It has been so inspiring to meet our alumni and supporters, visit their practices, and learn about the amazing work they are doing in their communities. We happily share a snapshot of some of those interactions as well as the schedule for the remainder of the year in this issue of the Quarterly Bulletin.
Naturally, as we enter the summer months, we do so with an eye towards our highlight events of the year, including commencement, alumni service awards, official Presidential Investiture, and our first ever Frontier Nursing University Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The more we look ahead, however, we are reminded to look back on this historic year at Frontier as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Frontier Nursing Service. Accordingly, we have a special treat in the following pages. We asked FNU Professor Dr. Anne Cockerham to write a story examining Frontier’s history and the remarkable people and events who have led us to where we are today. I am certain you will enjoy her skillful writing and thoughtful perspective.
I wish you all a safe and wonderful summer and hope to see you on the Presidential Tour soon.
Sincerely,
Dr. Brooke A. Flinders DNP, RN, APRN-CNM, FACNM
Frontier Nursing University Names
Kristin Ashford as New Dean of Nursing
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) announced that Dr. Kristin B. Ashford, PhD, WHNP-BC, FAAN, will be the university’s new Dean of Nursing effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Ashford replaces Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN, who retired at the end of February having served as FNU’s Dean of Nursing since 2018. Dr. Diane John, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, CNE, who has served as the Interim Dean of Nursing since March 1, will continue in that role until July 1.
“After a thorough and competitive search, we are very proud to welcome Dr. Ashford as our new Dean of Nursing,” said FNU President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders, DNP, RN, APRN-CNM, FACNM. “Dr. Ashford brings a wealth of experience as a practitioner, educator, and administrator. I am excited to see her leadership and expertise advance the tremendous work of her predecessors in service to our students and our mission.”
Dr. Ashford comes to FNU from the University of Kentucky (UK) College of Nursing, where she is a professor and Endowed Good Samaritan Chair for Community Nursing. She is the founder and director of the UK College of Nursing Perinatal and Research Center, leading an interprofessional team to translate research into practice while informing policy makers on maternal and child health issues. She is also the co-director of UK’s BREATHE (Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Healthy Environments).
"I am honored to accept the position of Dean of Nursing at Frontier Nursing University,” Dr. Ashford said. “Frontier has a long-standing record of excellence and a well-earned reputation for commitment to its students and the communities they serve. I have a love for teaching and mentoring students. I am humbled and excited for the opportunity to work with Frontier’s students and empower them to positively impact access to quality, compassionate healthcare across the country,” Dr. Ashford said.
Her extensive administrative experience at the UK College of Nursing includes serving as the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Health Policy (2022-2024), Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs and Interprofessional Education (20172022), and Assistant Dean of Research (2015-2017).
Dr. Ashford received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Washburn University, her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Louisville, and a PhD in nursing from the University of Kentucky. Among her many accomplishments, she is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and was selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow at the National Academy of Medicine in 2021. She received the Florence Nightingale Outstanding Nurse of the Year Award from the University of Louisville in 2016.
Dr. Ashford is a dedicated researcher with over 60 scholarly publications and more than $10 million in funding as a primary investigator. The majority of her research focuses on improving health for pregnant and postpartum women with addiction, primarily tobacco, electronic cigarettes, and opioid use disorder. She is an internationally known nursing expert in the field of perinatal tobacco use, immune response research, and preterm birth (PTB).
“I am excited and honored to be joining the Frontier Nursing University community,” Dr. Ashford said. “The mission of Frontier Nursing aligns closely with my values, likely stemming from my rural upbringing and my commitment to improving community health through collaborative partnerships.”
Marcus Osborne Selected as Chair of the FNU Board of Directors
In May, FNU announced that Marcus Osborne has been selected to serve as the Chair of FNU’s Board of Directors. Osborne, who has served on the Board since 2017, fills the position that was held by Dr. Michael Carter for 23 years until he stepped down from the role in Spring 2025.
“The singular word I would use is extraordinary,” Osborne said about the leadership of Dr. Carter’s tenure on the Board. “You think about the leadership that he brought during times where there was lots of change – the COVID pandemic, some of the political changes that have impacted both education and healthcare. The debt of gratitude that is owed to him is immense.”
A Kentucky native, Osborne graduated from Transylvania University in 1997 with a degree in political science. He then took an internship role in the White House, participating in a study forecasting the impact of the internet and digital economy.
After working a number of years as a management consultant in Boston, Massachusetts, he served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Clinton Foundation’s Health Access Initiative. He then earned his master's in business administration degree with honors from the Harvard Business School.
For 15 years, Osborne worked at Walmart in various roles, including the Senior Vice President of Health Transformation. Most recently, he served as CEO of RightMove, a spin-out from the Hospital
for Special Surgery (HSS) providing virtual musculoskeletal care.
"While we will miss Michael Carter, we are incredibly fortunate to have someone as innovative and collaborative as Marcus to be his successor," said FNU President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders. "His profound professional experience and unique expertise have made him a valuable member of the Board for the past eight years. He is uniquely equipped to lead Frontier into the next chapter."
“This is a great honor,” Osborne said of becoming Board Chair at FNU. “It’s exciting for me to come into this role and it’s a great time to be at FNU.”
“(Marcus Osborne's) profound professional experience and unique expertise have made him a valuable member of the Board for the past eight years. He is uniquely equipped to lead Frontier into the next chapter.”
— FNU President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders
FNU Board Awards Honorary Titles
The Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors recently issued honorary titles to Dr. Joan Slager, Mike Rust, and Dr. May Wykle.
Dr. Joan Slager Professor Emerita and Dean Emerita
The Board of Directors bestowed the honorary titles of Professor Emerita and Dean Emerita on the recently retired Dean of Nursing Dr. Slager, “in recognition of her years of service, leadership, and excellence.” A Frontier graduate, Dr. Slager served as FNU’s Dean of Nursing from 2018 to February 28, 2025.
Mike Rust Board of Directors Emeritus
The FNU Board of Directors bestowed this title on Mike Rust in honor of his longstanding service to FNU. Mr. Rust has served as a member of the FNU Board of Directors since 2002. His vision, leadership, and guidance were invaluable as the university continued to grow, purchased the Versailles campus, and expanded its programs, all while adhering to the university’s mission and vision.
Dr. May Wykle Board of Directors Emerita
The FNU Board of Directors chose this title in recognition of Dr. Wykle’s longstanding service to Frontier Nursing University. As a member of the FNU Board of Directors since 2016, she was integral in guiding Frontier through many changes and events, including building a new campus, enduring the pandemic, expanding program offerings, growing enrollment, and conducting new leadership searches.
Dr. Torica Fuller Appointed to NONPF Inclusive Excellence Committee; Accepted into Maternal Mental Health Fellowship Program
FNU Assistant Professor and Clinical Bound Team Lead Torica Fuller, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, WHNP-BC, CDP, CGRN, CPN, NRCME, received a two-year appointment to the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Inclusive Excellence Committee. The committee advises and engages with leadership on resources in support of NONPF’s call for greater racial diversity in NP education. Annually NONPF's board provides to the Inclusive Excellence Committee charges that support NONPF's mission, vision and strategic plan.
Dr. Fuller has also been accepted into the 2025 NC Matters Maternal Mental Health Fellowship. North Carolina health care professionals across the state will participate in a collaborative learning program focused on expanding access to quality mental health care for perinatal people.
Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale Accepted to Attend Palliative Care Workshop
FNU Associate Professor Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP, has been accepted to attend the Faculty Development and Leadership in Palliative Care Workshop in July at the University of Portland. The workshop is presented by the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) project, which is a national and international education initiative to improve palliative care. ELNEC is a collaboration between City of Hope and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
The project provides undergraduate and graduate nursing faculty, continuing education providers, staff development educators, specialty nurses in pediatrics, oncology, critical care and geriatrics, and other nurses with training in palliative care
so they can teach this essential information to nursing students, practicing nurses and other healthcare professionals.
“I am excited for this as we transition Palliative Care into our FNU curriculum,” Dr. Stone-Gale said. “I believe this workshop will be beneficial for me to learn more about the process and give me a better understanding of the implementation process, which I can then bring back to our programs.”
During the workshop, Dr. Stone-Gale will engage in an active learning environment on topics that include palliative care educational resources, evaluation measures, and teaching strategies.
FNU Announces Diversity Impact Conference Keynote Speakers
FNU is proud to announce that the 2025 Diversity Impact Conference keynote speakers will be Dr. Kimberly J. Robinson and Dr. Kenya V. Beard.
Dr. Robinson is a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law as well as a professor at both the School of Education and Human Development, and the Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. She is one of the nation’s leading education law experts and speaks throughout the United States about K-20 educational equity, school funding, education and democracy, equal opportunity, civil rights, Title IX and federalism.
Dr. Beard is the Dean at the Mercy University School of Nursing. Dr. Beard is former chairperson of the New York State
Board of Nursing and is a current fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Nursing, and the Academy of Nursing Education. She is also a Commissioner for the National Commission to Address Racism in Nursing.
This conference has applied and is eligible for 10 CE hours for nursing through The Amercian Nurses Credential Center (ANCC). Final approval will be announced on the website prior to the event.
FNU Awards Scholarship to Local High School Student Kentucky State Representative Visits FNU Campus
For the third consecutive year, FNU awarded a scholarship to a local Versailles, Kentucky, high school senior. FNU Director of Annual Giving and Courier Programs Lisa Colletti-Jones (pictured left) presented the scholarship to 2025 Woodford County High School graduate Sara Longdac, who plans to attend Asbury University and pursue a degree in nursing.
Alumni and Friends Go Cruising
In April, FNU alumni, faculty, staff, and friends set sail on a memorable cruise to the beautiful Bahamas, combining relaxation, reconnection, and celebration. This special voyage brought together members of the FNU community to enjoy sun-soaked beaches, shared stories, and meaningful fellowship. With a dynamic mix of events and informal gatherings on board, the cruise offered a perfect blend of fun and friendship, strengthening the bonds that make the FNU family so unique.
State Representative Dan Fister, who represents Woodford County, paid a visit to Frontier Nursing University’s campus on May 14th. He joined FNU Chief Advancement Officer Bobbi Silver (pictured left) and FNU President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders (pictured center) on a tour of campus to learn more about FNU’s mission to educate highly qualified advanced practice nurses and nurse-midwives.
Dr. Kenya V. Beard
Dr. Kimberly J. Robinson
Taylor Foundation Establishes Scholarship Fund in Support of Frontier Nursing University Students
The Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, Inc. established the Edward Settle Dabney Memorial Scholarship Fund in November 2024 to support scholarships for students in the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) CertifiedNurse Midwifery (CNM) Program. Mr. Dabney, who passed away in 1982, served as the former Treasurer and Governor of the Frontier Nursing Service. Funds from the scholarship will be available to students beginning in the spring of 2026.
“We are so thankful for the generosity of the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation in memory of Mr. Dabney,” FNU President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders said. “Mr. Dabney left an incredible legacy of leadership and service to Frontier. This scholarship fund ensures that his remarkable impact on our students will continue for years to come.”
The Foundation was established in 1996 to perpetuate the charitable interests of Joan R. and Charles M. Taylor II beyond their lifetimes and to give back to the communities that have supported the Taylor family. Mr. Taylor's parents, Dr. Charles Minor Taylor and Julia Hughes Prewitt were raised in Winchester, Kentucky, and both families have deep roots in the area. Many of the young women from these families volunteered as Couriers for Frontier Nursing Service since its inception in 1925. They were resourceful and well-adapted to traveling by horseback into rural areas of Kentucky.
Dr. Charles Minor Taylor received his education in medicine at Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. After his graduation, he was Assistant Superintendent of what is now Eastern State Hospital
Sculpture Celebrates FNU’s
100 Years of Service and Education
Members of the FNU community gathered on campus for the unveiling of a new horse sculpture. The sculpture, created by local artist Christine Kuhn, celebrates FNU’s 100 years of service and education and the continued commitment to improving healthcare outcomes for all people.
in Lexington until he was appointed by President James Buchanan to command the Marine Hospital at Napoleon, Arkansas, at the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi Rivers. Although he raised his family in Arkansas, he delivered his children at the homes of his wife's family in Winchester and Mt. Sterling.
“The Foundation is pleased to continue multi-generational support for Frontier Nursing Service and Frontier Nursing University,” the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation said in a statement announcing the establishment of the scholarship. “The scholarship fund will foster a commitment to service to others and the value of accessible medical care to women, children, and families in rural and underserved areas for generations to come."
The Presidential Tour Has Begun
Presidential TOUR
Throughout 2025, FNU President, Dr. Brooke A. Flinders is visiting regions across the U.S. to meet with the Frontier community. First up was the “Southeast Tour” with stops in Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida.
Caitlin Rivard, FNU’s Director of Alumni Engagement, shared a few of the highlights from these first legs of Dr. Flinders’ nationwide tour.
Atlanta, Georgia
In February, we were delighted to host an alumni reception at the historic Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Atlanta, Georgia. Alumni, students, faculty, and staff gathered for a warm and welcoming evening filled with great conversation, laughter, and a delicious Southern-style dinner. It was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect, share stories, and celebrate the enduring spirit of our community in one of Atlanta’s most beloved landmarks.
During our time in Atlanta, we were also excited to catch up with FNU graduate Brandi Milton, PMHNP (Class 201), who has launched her own aesthetics practice, Conqr Aesthetics and Wellness. It was inspiring to see Brandi's entrepreneurial spirit in action and hear about her journey from student to successful business owner. We love celebrating alumni who are blazing their own trails and making their mark in the field.
Huntersville, North Carolina
Next up was Huntersville, North Carolina, where we had the pleasure of visiting Lauren Brannon, FNP (Class 140), at an Atrium Health clinic site. Lauren specializes in
(l-r) President Dr. Brooke Flinders, Clinical Director of the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program Dr. Susan Piper, and PMHNP graduate Brandi Milton
gender-affirming care and family practice, and it was inspiring to see the impactful work she's doing in her community. We're proud to highlight alumni like Lauren who are making a meaningful difference in healthcare.
Miami, Florida
The FNU Community Meet & Mingle at The Doral Yard was a vibrant evening of connection, camaraderie, and Frontier pride. Students, alumni, faculty, and friends
(l-r) Dr. Brooke Flinders, Board Member Dr. Peter Schwartz, and Interim Dean of Nursing Dr. Diane John
gathered in the heart of Doral to enjoy good food, great conversations, and a shared sense of community. The event highlighted the strength of the FNU network and the lasting bonds that make our community so special.
Versailles
Huntersville
Front: FNU Chief Advancement Officer Bobbi Silver. Back Row (l-r) Sr. Philanthropy Officer Sarah Harlan, Strategic Communications and Public Relations Manager Quincy Fuehne, Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Student Success Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Dr. Brooke Flinders, Director of Alumni Engagement Caitlin Rivard, Associate Professor Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale, and Dr. Diane John
We also had an inspiring clinic site visit with Triana Boggs, CNM (Class 185), at Motherland Birth and Wellness. As a dedicated homebirth midwife, Triana shared her passion for personalized, culturally centered care and the importance of expanding birthing options in the community. Her work is a powerful example of midwifery in action outside the traditional clinical setting.
As part of the “Walk with Dr. Flinders” series, faculty, staff, and alumni came together for a refreshing walk along the Tampa Riverwalk. The event offered a great opportunity to connect, share ideas, and enjoy the beautiful waterfront while promoting wellness and FNU community engagement.
Our FNU Community Meet and Mingle at Rooftop 220 in Armature Works was a memorable evening of connection and celebration. With delicious food, refreshing drinks, and vibrant conversation, the event brought together our alumni, preceptors, faculty and students in a beautiful setting overlooking the Tampa skyline.
Kissimmee, Florida
We enjoyed a wonderful clinic site visit with Frontier graduate and preceptor Auriel
WHNP graduate Christina Carter, CNM graduate Liliya Passman, and Dr. Brooke Flinders (l-r) Bobbi Silver, Quincy Fuehne, CNM graduate Auriel Ciccarelli, Dr. Brooke Flinders, and Caitlin Rivard
Tampa, Florida
We had a wonderful clinic site visit with Certified Nurse-Midwife Liliya Passman, CNM (Class 142), at the University of South Florida Midwifery office. Liliya shared valuable insights into her work and the vital role midwives play in improving maternal care. It was inspiring to see her commitment to educating the next generation of midwives as a valued FNU preceptor and supporting women’s health in the Tampa community.
Ciccarelli, CNM (Class 196) at Florida Woman Care in Kissimmee, Florida. Auriel shared her experiences in providing compassionate, high-quality care to women in the community. The visit was followed by a lovely lunch, a clinic tour, and an interview with Auriel.
Altamonte Springs, Florida
We had the pleasure of attending a Case Day at Tree of Life Birth and Gynecology,
which was founded by Frontier graduate Dr. Kaleen Richards, DNP (Class 51), CNM, ARNP. During Case Day, students presented well-prepared clinical cases. It was a great opportunity to witness their clinical reasoning, professionalism, and passion for midwifery and women's health in action.
Watch your email or visit Frontier.edu for more information about these tour stops:
June: Northern California, Oregon, and Washington
August: New York and Pennsylvania
November: Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland
Watch “On The Trail” with Frontier Nursing University
“On the Trail with Frontier Nursing University” is our new video series that takes you behind the scenes of Frontier, whether we are on campus in Versailles, Kentucky, or on the road meeting with graduates in their home communities.
This series is designed to foster connections and engage others, highlighting nursemidwives, nurse practitioners, and all our community members' impact on health care nationwide.
New episodes will be released every other month. You can watch the series on FNU’s YouTube page and our social media channels.
Huntersville
Kissimmee
Altamonte Springs
(l-r)
(l-r) Dr. Brooke Flinders and DNP graduate Dr. Kaleen Richards
Holding On to the Star
HOLDING ON TO THE STAR:
Celebrating 100 Years of the Frontier Nursing Service
By Anne Z. Cockerham, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, FACNM, Frontier Nursing University Professor
We have come a long way since our work began…We hitched our wagon to a star then, and when we traded wagons for trucks, we held on to the star. The heart of our work has lain in its start with things as they were and its acceptance of the laws of growth. In planning for future growth, the Frontier Nursing Service still adheres to the principles that gave it being.
Mary Breckinridge wrote the words at the top of this page in her autobiography, Wide Neighborhoods, describing the evolution of the Frontier Nursing Service. A key factor in the service’s success had been pragmatism and a willingness to change when circumstances dictated, all while holding on to the star of the service’s core mission. Although Wide Neighborhoods was published only a few decades after the founding of the Frontier Nursing Service, the sentiment holds true today as we celebrate the service’s 100th anniversary.
In this article, we explore the Frontier Nursing Service’s history from 1925 to 2025 through a chronological journey, highlighting the enduring themes that capture both the core mission that FNS stakeholders have consistently embraced, and the many ways that the service has changed. Indeed, whether we examine FNS leaders’ and staff members’ goals
and accomplishments in the early years or recent years, we see throughlines of a focus on rural health, a dedication to primary care of the family, a commitment to graduate education of nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners, and flexibility and adaptiveness in navigating obstacles.
The First Decade of the Frontier Nursing Service
From its start in 1925, the Frontier Nursing Service prioritized rural health care. Mary Breckinridge had sought a remote service area for her health care project, largely due to the enormous unmet needs of ruraldwelling people. Reformers had focused on improving the health of city dwellers, particularly urban children, during the Progressive Era years of 1890-1920, but as
Breckinridge pointed out, “remotely rural children had been neglected.”
Although FNS leaders and staff were deeply committed to caring for rural people, the remote nature of the service area created challenges. Frontier nurses faced extreme difficulties, including obstacles to reaching and caring for their patients given the treacherous mountainous terrain, unpredictable weather, a nearly nonexistent road network, access to clean water, and adequate lighting. The FNS’s rural setting also limited access to physicians to care for patients with complicated medical needs. Few doctors chose to live and work in such a remote area. Scott Breckinridge, Mary Breckinridge’s cousin and prominent physician, provided several reasons in a 1931 letter to the editor of the Lexington newspaper: “The raising of the standards of medical education and the increasing need of laboratory and hospital facilities for the satisfactory practice of medicine creates difficulties persuading qualified practitioners to locate in isolated communities where those facilities are lacking and where the returns for the services rendered are, at best, most meager.”
A rural focus conferred important advantages as well as challenges for the FNS. Remoteness contributed to an image of the service that enhanced fundraising and staff recruiting. A romanticized version of the FNS’s rural environment allowed potential donors and staff members to return vicariously to an idyllic, bygone era. In fact, Breckinridge referred to her trips between remote eastern Kentucky and the
Dr. Anne Cockerham
large cities when she attended meetings of the volunteer committees as “commuting between centuries.” The rugged, rural eastern Kentucky setting also appealed to some nurses who longed to be a famed “nurse on horseback” in a rustic and natural mountain setting. To recruit adventure-minded nurses, Breckinridge penned colorful articles intended for young, public health-focused nurses in the American Journal of Nursing and women’s magazines. Prospective nurses also consumed dramatic tales of nursing care in the Kentucky mountains in publications such as journalist Ernest Poole’s widely read 1932 book Nurses on Horseback
From the earliest years, FNS leaders and staff maximized flexibility and developed strategies to cope with the rural setting and other challenges. Gaining insight from rural health providers in other areas of the world, such as the Highlands and Islands Medical and Nursing Service in Scotland, FNS leaders designed a specific geographic distribution of staff and facilities. Breckinridge explained, “The principle of organization in a remotely rural field of work is one of decentralization. In such a country time and not mileage is the factor involved in daily travel and in all emergencies. It is not a question of the patient’s distance from his nurse but of how long it takes her to reach him.” By delineating districts with the nurse at the center and considering natural arteries of travel, nurses could generally reach any patient in the district by horseback in less than an hour.
committee members and stayed on-site for 6-8 weeks, volunteering their time to care for horses, ferry messages and supplies,
Many of the areas covered by Frontier Nursing Service midwives were reachable only via horseback.
escort visitors around the FNS territory, assist nurses, and much more. The couriers’ work benefited the FNS by providing thousands of hours of unpaid work each year. Additionally, former couriers became lifelong advocates for Frontier, an even more
far-reaching benefit of the courier program. Seeing the service’s work up close allowed the couriers to return home as effective ambassadors for the Frontier Nursing Service and to tell their friends and family members of the work being done in Kentucky. Couriers took the FNS message out of the mountains and strengthened long-lasting ties between donors and the FNS. Although Breckinridge founded the Frontier Nursing Service for the initial purpose of caring for mothers and babies, the pressing need to care for the entire family became apparent immediately. Primary care and public health initiatives quickly rose to the same level of importance as maternal-child care. Before the FNS established itself in the area, community members had little access to modern systems of acute or preventive care. FNS nurses quickly set up comprehensive public health programs focused on sanitation, vaccination, health education, and care for many types of illnesses and injuries. The health care needs were great as individuals and families suffered
FNS leaders developed the Courier Service as a creative and adaptive strategy to address another challenge, nearly constant budgetary shortfalls. Couriers played an important part in keeping the FNS solvent and running smoothly. Many couriers were college-aged daughters and nieces of FNS donors and
FNS midwives provided care for the entire family.
Holding On to the Star
from the effects of numerous infectious diseases such as typhoid fever, dysentery, measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and hookworm. Families, especially children, suffered from malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies because their diet was generally limited to what they could grow, raise, or hunt. Other serious health concerns included injuries from logging and mining accidents, snakebites, gunshot wounds, and more.
The War Years
The cataclysmic events of the Second World War in the late 1930s and 1940s caused chaos and devastation for millions of people, including those in the Frontier Nursing Service. FNS leaders addressed challenges during this period by maximizing flexibility, keeping the FNS mission at the forefront, and maintaining a firm commitment to the FNS model of nursing care.
Great Britain’s entrance into the war in 1939 created a dire midwifery staffing shortage for the Frontier Nursing Service. British nurse-midwives comprised nearly the entire FNS staff and with their homeland at war, most departed Kentucky to return to England. FNS assistant director Dorothy Buck described the emotional and practical devastation for the service: “Waiting … in the far-off Kentucky mountains. England, our England! We must go home!... Eighteen of the [service’s] twenty-two nurse-midwives, from Great Britain. . .nurse after nurse left us with regret and with the promise to return when the war is over.”
The FNS lacked a mechanism to replenish its ranks, so opening its own school became a necessity. Quickly navigating obstacles such as shortages of faculty, space, and funds, FNS leaders opened the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery on November 1, 1939, just two months after England entered the war. The school grew slowly but steadily during the war years, having begun with two students in the first class. The program expanded in 1940, increasing the number of students to three. FNS leaders came to count on their graduates to staff the service. With two classes per year, this gave the school the potential to have six new midwives per year
to staff the service, a small but realistically sustainable number for the tiny new school.
Studying midwifery on the rural frontier attracted students looking for adventure but required flexibility and adaptiveness for students and instructors. Student recollections from the initial decades of the school’s existence are chock full of dramatic stories illustrating the environment in which they worked and learned in eastern Kentucky. Given the steep and snow-covered mountain trails, flood-swollen creeks, and rutted roads, many areas were only navigable on horseback. One early graduate recalled
pushing away her anxiety as she negotiated the treacherous paths on a dark and icy night. The horses were shod with ice nails and, on the way to a birth, the supervisor's horse ahead of her gave off sparks. This sight helped the student feel reassured that, although she couldn't see her supervisor's horse ahead of her, it was there. The surefooted horses also helped the nurses navigate the miles of trails, sometimes swimming across the swiftly flowing rivers that lay between the nurses and the patients' homes.
The Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery was established on November 1, 1939.
Major Changes for the FNS Community at Midcentury
Significant societal shifts during the 1950s and 1960s dramatically affected the experiences of Frontier nurses and graduate students and changed the lives of the individuals and families the FNS served. These shifts required FNS leaders, staff, and students to redouble their efforts to remain flexible and adaptive as they continued to serve the community.
Physician unavailability continued to plague the FNS, and nurses sometimes provided care without a service Medical Director or any other physician whom the nurses could summon in an emergency. To handle problems, nurses often relied solely on written standardized protocols, termed Medical Routines, and consulted with the physician afterward, long after the situation had been resolved. The lengthy 1958 search for a medical director demonstrated that the challenges were not solely due to physicians’ choices about where to live: the norms of physician training practices by midcentury evolved to be misaligned with medical practice in rural areas. FNS leaders conveyed to readers of the Autumn 1958 Quarterly Bulletin that “No doctor can be responsible for a rural hospital and vast field of work who has not had residencies in either surgery or obstetrics-gynecology. [The] trend toward early specialization…is so marked today that doctors who have had as much as two years residency in either surgery or obstetrics-gynecology want to carry on with the specialty and go to the cities…”
Another major societal shift that affected the daily lives of FNS nurses and community members was the transition from home to hospital births. Nationwide, this trend had been increasing throughout the twentieth century. FNS leaders and nurses had resisted the national trends and continued to encourage home birth in specific circumstances. However, around midcentury, the number of FNS home
births dropped dramatically. Diminishing home births changed the nurses’ and students’ routines by spending more time at the hospital and less time in patients’ homes. As time went by, students cherished the increasingly rare opportunity to attend a home birth: a 1966 graduate recalled that she was one of only two students in her class who was able to attend a home birth.
Increasingly widespread use of contraception represented another change during the 1960s that affected the lives of FNS patients and students. Reflecting the nationwide birth control movement, FNS leaders established an official family planning program in 1961 with access to oral contraceptive pills and intrauterine contraception. In a short time, the average size of families in the FNS territory decreased markedly and Leslie County’s
birthrate decreased by almost 50% between 1959 and 1968. FNS publicity materials of the time reported, “The Medical Director and the nurse-midwives conduct a family planning program which is well accepted by the community and shows excellent results. The pill and IUDs are used successfully, resulting in a lowered birth rate in a county which, up until very recently, had one of the highest birth rates in the country. The parents of today are happily learning to space their children.” The decreased birth rate resulted in an unintended consequence for the FNS: fewer births for FNS nurses to attend and more difficulty for midwifery students in obtaining the requisite number of births to complete their course of study. This shift would lead to a major upheaval in the Frontier graduate school in upcoming years.
Graduating class of 1957
Hospital maternity ward, circa 1966
Holding On to the Star
Family Nurse Practitioner Education
In the mid-1960s, nursing education and practice changes elsewhere in the nation would result in major effects on the FNS graduate school. In Colorado, Loretta Ford and Dr. Henry Silver founded a novel education program to prepare nurses to provide advanced nursing care of children as pediatric nurse practitioners. FNS nurses immediately recognized Ford and Silver’s model of care because FNS nurses had been providing this type of advanced nursing care for four decades. In addition to maternity care, FNS staff and students had been caring for all members of families through acute and chronic illnesses, injuries, and preventive care needs. Skilled in applying the Medical Routines, FNS nurses knew when care fell within their training and when consultation with or referral to a physician was indicated.
Thus, when FNS leaders learned of the pediatric nurse practitioner education program, they immediately considered adding a nurse practitioner education program at Frontier. A family nurse practitioner program was aligned perfectly with the FNS mission to improve the health of rural-dwelling individuals and families. After a management consultant firm studied the issue in 1969, the firm recommended that the FNS graduate school expand its offering to include comprehensive family nursing.
Planning and implementation proceeded quickly. Helen Browne described the aim of the family nursing programs: “to develop the team approach with the physician and the nurse working closely together so that the families would have well-coordinated continuity of care.” They intended to “bridge the gap that exists between the traditional role of medicine and nursing.” Indeed, as
Browne noted, there was “a defined need for a new breed of family nurse practitioners –a sophisticated, knowledgeable, clinically and theoretically oriented group of professionals.” FNS faculty welcomed the first four students into the FNP program on June 15, 1970.
With the addition of the FNP program, the FNS ushered in a new era of growth and service to the community, rural health care, and the nursing profession. As the first FNP students began their studies, the name of the school changed from the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery to the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing (FSMFN) to reflect its broadening educational role. As the school catalog noted, the FNP would be “a blending of nursing with selected medical and public health functions.” The traditional nursing role would be expanded to include “basic diagnostic, treatment and preventive skills . . . so that FNPs would be able to provide assistance to families, whether they be living in Appalachia, inner cities or developing countries. . .” The new program fit with the school’s original mission. During the 1970s, the FNP program grew rapidly, and applicants sometimes waited more than a year to be accepted because of the sheer number of nurses interested in a combined midwifery/FNP program or one of the two tracks.
Pressing Need for an Innovative Educational Shift
Throughout the 1970s, challenges intensified for the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. Decreasing births, diminished overall population numbers in the area, faculty shortages, and financial constraints conspired to cause FNS leaders to consider closing the school. Midwifery students struggled to access enough births to meet graduation requirements, and a 1972 report from the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ site visit to Frontier confirmed the situation.
While effusive in its praise for the program’s ability to provide “comprehensive health services to the most isolated families in Appalachia,” the report documented that a weakness of the program was the insufficient number of intrapartum clinical experiences. To mitigate these problems, FNS leaders arranged for students to travel out of the area to gain the required clinical experience with births. But by 1980, the situation was becoming more dire. FSMFN Dean Lydia DeSantis was forced to notify prospective students that they would not be able to begin their graduate program as planned in the fall of 1980.
Many stakeholders actively resisted the idea of closure, in large part due to the unique nature of the education Frontier provided. The school’s dean expressed this sentiment in the Winter 1980 Quarterly Bulletin: “Our school has the only program in this country that prepares registered nurses as both
family nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives. . . [our school’s] offerings. . . have been enormously successful and well-received, especially the Family Nurse-Midwifery Program. . . graduates of the school are in constant demand; 94% are presently employed in rural areas, and most are functioning in primary care settings. Rural primary care has always been a major objective of the FNS, and one of the most pressing health care needs in this country.”
In 1989, an innovative structural change in the school allowed the FNS to continue its commitment to graduate nursing education despite the changes in the service’s eastern Kentucky historical home area. Led by Kitty Ernst (a 1951 graduate of the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery) and funded by the Pew Foundation, the CommunityBased Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (CNEP) began as a pilot project. CNEP’s goal was to increase the number of practicing nurse-midwives working in underserved areas. The structure of CNEP would enable nurses to remain in their communities while obtaining graduate education as nursemidwives by completing most of their didactic work at a distance, first by mail and phone and then online as technology evolved. Clinical experiences would be in students’ home communities.
Prospective students and FNS leaders embraced the concept. CNEP’s first class of seventeen
students met to begin their program in April 1989 in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania. This experience, modeled after the successful team-building program, Outward Bound, was called Midwifery Bound. In a June 1990 alumni newsletter, Kitty Ernst reported that 1,200 nurses had expressed interest in the program that year and that a second class of forty students had been admitted. Also in 1990, the FSMFN officially recognized that the CNEP model of education matched its own goals and mission. The President of the School and the Board of Governors voted to officially adopt CNEP as its nursemidwifery education program in 1991.
In addition to being a practical solution to the challenges of residential education based in Hyden KY, CNEP allowed for a different type of emphasis on rural health. The flexible, innovative, decentralized approach allowed students to remain in their communities throughout their education and, importantly, after graduation. Maintaining an explicit focus on rural health despite this change in education program
Holding On to the Star
structure meant that the re-envisioned school could prioritize the education of rural-dwelling students who would go on to practice in rural areas. Leaders reported that, as of Fall 1991, just two years after CNEP’s inception, 181 students had been enrolled in CNEP and 59% of students lived in rural or semi-rural communities.
In the decade after the distance learning model began, the school continued to grow, beginning with nurse-midwives and then adding family nurse practitioners. Although the FNP track had been placed on hold years earlier, the commitment to education FNPs never waned. In 1999, the FNP track was relaunched as a distance learning program. By Spring 2000, 1,363 students had graduated from the nurse-midwifery educational program and 173 students were currently enrolled and working toward their dreams.
Frontier in the 21st Century
The themes that capture the accomplishments and goals of Frontier stakeholders at the dawn of the 21st century echoed those seen since the organization’s inception in 1925: flexibility and adaptiveness as the organization maintained a focus on rural health, and commitments to graduate education and primary care of families. As FNS leaders, staff, and community members marked the 75th anniversary of the Frontier Nursing Service in 2000, productivity and patient safety outcomes prompted celebration and pride: in 75 years, FNS staff had cared for 414,121 registered patients, attended 24,794 maternity patients for delivery, and recorded 11 maternity deaths.
FNS leaders recognized the importance of seeking regional and programmatic accreditation and becoming a master’s degree-granting institution to keep the FSMFN competitive with other programs. Work began in earnest in 2000 with long
hours of diligent efforts by leaders, faculty, staff, and others. By 2004, FSMFN was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to offer a Master of Science in Nursing, the first hooding of MSN graduates had occurred, and the American College of Nurse-Midwives Division on Accreditation (ACNM DOA)
Nursing (ADN to MSN) Bridge program launched, allowing students whose nursing degree was an ADN, rather than a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to bridge into the midwifery or nurse practitioner program by taking one additional year of courses. In 2008, the first Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students enrolled.
had granted accreditation for the nursemidwifery program.
After earning accreditation and authority to grant a master’s degree for nurse-midwives and family nurse practitioners, several new educational options for Frontier students followed in quick succession. In 2005, students could choose to earn a Master of Science in Nursing as a women’s health nurse practitioner. In 2007, the Associate Degree in Nursing to Master of Science in
Although the school was successful and growing, the Frontier Nursing Service experienced a difficult period between 2008 and 2011. National trends, such as the economic downturn that began in 2008, and private and federal reimbursement challenges for health care contributed to the financial unsustainability of FNS health care entities. In the fall of 2010, 70 employees lost their jobs, and the maternity unit at Mary Breckinridge Hospital closed its doors. In 2011, Appalachian Regional Healthcare,
FNU sign at Versailles campus entrance.
In 2017, FNU added a new specialty track, allowing aspiring psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP) to join the FNU community. FNU leaders and faculty selected the PMHNP from an array of advanced practice specialty options due to the institution’s commitment to providing mental health care, a service that individuals in rural areas often have difficulty accessing.
The ribbon-cutting for the Versailles campus was held on September 9, 2022.
Inc. (ARH) bought Mary Breckinridge Hospital, the home health agency, and FNS clinics. An August 10, 2011, press release described the sale: “as has been the case throughout the country, a number of standalone hospitals are merging with larger healthcare systems in order to continue to be viable and sustainable.” With this sale, the Frontier Nursing Service transitioned to a single focus of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners.
After the separation between the health care entities and the school, changes in the school continued. A major shift happened in 2011 when the Board of Directors approved a name change to Frontier Nursing University (FNU) to better reflect the institution’s scope and status. Since the name change, FNU has continued to expand in alignment with the university’s mission and the major focus dating back to the inception of the Frontier Nursing Service. By 2012, FNU admitted approximately 600 students annually.
As the university’s offerings expanded, FNU leaders decided to move its campus from Hyden to Versailles, Kentucky. Although this was a difficult decision due to its historical roots in Leslie County, FNU’s growth necessitated more campus space, access to technology, and centralized administrative and on-campus activities. FNU purchased the 217-acre property in 2017, and construction and renovations proceeded during the next few years. The COVID-19 pandemic caused delays in opening the new campus but by May 2022, all Frontier Bound and Clinical Bound student sessions took place in person on the Versailles campus.
The world looks dramatically different than it did a century ago when the Frontier Nursing Service came into being. Frontier has undergone changes that would make many aspects unrecognizable to early FNS leaders and staff. But as we reflect on the goals and accomplishments of Frontier stakeholders between 1925 and 2025, we can appreciate that today’s leaders, faculty, staff, students, couriers, alumni, donors, and friends continue, in Mary Breckinridge’s words, to “adhere to the principles that gave it being.” Now solely focused, as Frontier Nursing University, on graduate education of nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners, the organization retains its commitment to primary care of the family with a robust family nurse practitioner program, primary care education for all specialty tracks, and a focus on mental health care. Frontier Nursing University continues to address the great needs present in health care shortage areas, particularly in underserved and rural areas. In 2024, 51% of students resided in Health Professional Shortage Areas, 65% in Mental Health Provider Shortage Areas, and 18% in designated rural areas. A crucial factor in the ability of the organization to persevere through changes and obstacles it has faced in the last 100 years is the ability to be flexible and adaptive. We hope Mary Breckinridge would be proud of how the organization has adapted and grown.
Alumni Spotlights
Catching Up with Nurse-Midwife
Robyn Weller
Robyn E. Weller, CNM, MSN was a member of Class 33 of Frontier Nursing University’s Community-based Nursemidwifery Education Program (CNEP). She took that education and training and turned it into a remarkable career. She has worked as a certified nurse-midwife for Kaiser Permanente in southern California for over 20 years. She is a successful published author, and she is passionate about participating in medical missions. Somehow, she still found time to answer our questions and share her inspiring story with us.
Please describe your current practice and why you pursued a career in nursing.
I work in a large HMO setting in Southern California. We are full scope here and have a wonderful working relationship with our OBGYN/Perinatal colleagues.
I initially thought I wanted to be a physician and was a year shy of graduating with a degree in biology and getting ready to start applying to medical school when I had the good fortune to follow a friend's mom who was a labor and delivery nurse. I saw my first birth and thought it was the absolute coolest and most mind-blowing thing ever! They introduced me to the person who caught the baby as a midwife. I had never even heard the word midwife. Once they explained
what a midwife was, I literally went back to school and changed my major. Luckily my undergraduate happened to have a great nursing program too! Ironically in a true full circle moment the hospital that I saw my first birth at was the same hospital that I was hired at and still work at today.
What is a typical day for you now?
My typical day depends. It is sometimes in the clinic and sometimes in the hospital. It really is a nice mix of the two.
Please tell us about your book, Happy Mama Postpartum Self-Care — what led you to write it, and how has it been received?
One of my passions is taking care of postpartum moms and families. As a mom of four that experienced postpartum depression, I wanted to offer something a bit different than what I could just do alone at work. The idea of writing a book always lingered in the back of my head. COVID really brought the isolation that moms have to the fore front. It seemed like almost every postpartum person I saw was experiencing it! So, I just started the project. It really was a labor of love.
It is impossible to summarize a book in a few sentences, but how would you describe your book and what readers can expect to take away from it? Much like a first pancake it is my first official book. I self-published it and just put it out to the world in hopes it would speak to someone. I wrote it with the idea of your very bestie being there for you, but that person also happens to have some medical knowledge and life experience.
There is some snark and humor and sadness and reality throughout the book. It is a book that I wish I had when I had my kids. I would describe it as a guidebook for the first 12 weeks of postpartum. The initial what to anticipate, both physically and emotionally,
down to ideas on how to ask for help or gently guide people to help you would actually need.
While it is a drop in the ocean on the needs that our postpartum families have it was my way of starting the ripple.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
What are the primary challenges?
What do I love about my job? Certainly, the patients and seeing families grow and change is what keeps me going. However, one of the best things is the people that I work with!
One of my very dearest friends – Mary Schroeder – was a fellow CNEP 33 classmate! We met at bound! She has been such a dear friend and now I can also -- after 17 years of trying to get her to come to the HMO world – call her a coworker!
She and I have volunteered together for years also. From numerous breast cancer walks, marathons and now we both go to Sinaloa Mexico with the Flying Doctors of Mercy. The Mexico trips are a blast! We don't work as midwives, however, and work in the OR with the general surgery team. Mary even assists on laparoscopic surgeries while I circulate! She’s super rad! She even drove me to the hospital (maybe speeding a little in the carpool lanes) with both of us laughing at the thought of an unplanned car delivery with two midwives.
What are your future goals and plans? Maybe more books. I’ve been working on a menopause book too!
What else do you want to share with the FNU community?
I want to share my gratitude to the FNU community. I have gotten so much more out of being a midwife than I feel like I have put in and it all started with Frontier. You never know where this world will take you.
Lauren Brannon Champions Accessible, Affirming Community Care
FNU graduate Lauren Brannon, NP, FNP-C (Class 140), has dedicated her career to championing accessible, affirming healthcare for underserved communities, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community. Brannon obtained a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specialty from FNU. Brannon practices at Atrium Health Primary Care Northcross Family Medicine in Huntersville, North Carolina. Patients seek her out due to her expertise in gender-affirming care.
Brannon’s career choice as a nurse practitioner was sparked by personal experiences that highlighted the healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities. In her twenties, while living in New York City, Brannon became acutely aware of the gaps in healthcare for LGBTQ+ individuals. She said she witnessed firsthand how her friends, many of whom were trans, struggled to access necessary healthcare services.
“It just clicked for me,” she said. “I was like, ‘oh, I want to be the person who can actually make this happen.’ Because I just saw that it was really needed.”
Brannon deeply enjoys providing primary care to her community. “In my practice, I know our cultural norms,” she said. “I know our language, I know what our lives are. I just know there's a different level of felt safety if you're with a practitioner that's from within your community. And I think it goes a long way. Communitybased care is not just geographic,” she said.
During her first job as an NP, Brannon was precepted by an FNU graduate in the rural community of Troutman, North Carolina. By attending conferences, she gained the necessary skills to provide hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and played a key role in creating resources for administering these treatments at the local health center. Brannon and her collaborator shared their work by presenting at institutions like Wake Forest University, Yale, and GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality.
Over time, Brannon said she became known as one of the few nurse practitioners in the area specializing in healthcare for transgender individuals. Before joining Atrium, she worked with a startup focused on providing telehealth services tailored to LGBTQ+ patients. She said that although she has worked with various providers, many members of the LGBTQ+ community she treated in her previous practices continue to seek her care. She also expressed her happiness in seeing more providers who understand the needs of this population emerging in the area.
Though Brannon works in a traditional brick and mortar practice, her work does not stop there. Two days a week she participates in a virtual care program known as Community Virtual Primary Care, utilizing telehealth to provide care in places like churches, schools,
and YMCAs. Tele-presenters—medical assistants—help facilitate patients with physical exams and collect vitals, while Brannon oversees the care remotely. This setup allows her to offer accessible healthcare to individuals who may not otherwise have access to traditional services.
Notably, during Hurricane Helene, Brannon and her team provided refills and other healthcare needs to people in her community who were affected by the storm.
Brannon said that FNU played a significant role in her professional growth. She noted the university’s strong reputation for excellence and its commitment to evidence-based and trauma-informed care as being important to her
“I really think that Frontier draws people who are purpose-driven and intrepid,” she said. “At Frontier, I met so many incredible people. And I definitely felt very validated because I was answering my own call.”
Lauren Brannon, NP, FNP-C (right) with Caitlin Rivard, FNU's Director of Alumni Engagement
Alumni News & Notes
Sarah Barton Named Advanced Practice Provider of the Year
Rutland Regional Medical Center in South Burlington, Vermont, named Sarah Barton, DNP (Class 34), CNM, as its Advanced Practice Provider of the Year. Barton, who is RRMC’s first CNM, joined Rutland Women’s Healthcare in 2023. Sarah is recognized for her professionalism, clinical expertise, and dedication to mentorship. The award announcement noted that Sarah “is known for her strong communication skills and her commitment to enhancing education and training for her colleagues. Her work in midwifery has had a meaningful impact on the community, improving access to specialized maternal care.”
Mary Ellen Biggerstaff
Authors “Radical” New Book
Frontier graduate and former faculty member Mary Ellen Biggerstaff, DNP (Class 13), FNP, MPH recently published a book. Radical Nurses tells the stories of 28 nurses – activists, writers, nuns, revolutionaries –throughout history who challenged conventions and reshaped what it means to care and advocate in times of social and political change.
“As a long-time nurse practitioner, educator, and advocate, I hope this book resonates with others committed to the legacy and future of nursing leadership and justice,” said
Dr. Biggerstaff, who is an associate professor of nursing at Pacific Lutheran University.
To learn more about or purchase the book, visit www.radicalnurses.com.
Kailey Friesz Joins Prosser Digestive Health Center
Prosser Digestive Health Center in Prosser, Washington, recently welcomed Kailey Friesz, MSN, FNP (Class 192). She specializes in advanced assessment, including diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic recommendations. She treats conditions such as acid reflux, swallowing problems, nausea and vomiting, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, diarrhea, constipation, gastrointestinal bleeding, anemia, elevated liver enzymes and fatty liver disease.
Tina Hayes Becomes First Nurse-Midwife at Novant Health Carmel OB/GYN
Novant Health Carmel OB/GYN in Charlotte, North Carolina, recently welcomed Tina Hayes, CNM (Class 27), as their first nurse-midwife. She also works in labor and delivery at Novant Health Matthews Medical Centerh.
Women’s Clinic Welcomes Meagan Kite
Meagan Kite, MSN, CNM (Class 203) recently joined The Women’s Clinic in Ada, Oklahoma. She joins fellow FNU graduate Natasha Estep, MSN, CNM (Class 142) at the Women’s Clinic.
Carmen Kosicek Participates in Psychiatric Times Video Series
Carmen Kosicek, MSN, CNM (Class 15), PMHNP-BC, recently participated in a three-person panel discussion as part of Psychiatric Times’ video series “Postpartum Depression Management: Exploring Treatment Options for Mothers in Need of Support.” Kosicek is the CEO, Founder of Visionary Psychiatry in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Mariah Pacheco Joins Pediatric Clinic
The Pediatric Clinic of Sweetwater Memorial in Rock Springs, Wyoming, recently welcomed Mariah Pacheco, FNP-C. Among her previous positions, Pacheco was the lead registered nurse in the Women’s Health Clinic of Sweetwater Memorial.
Megan Pratt Receives AANP Award
Megan Pratt, DNP (Class 36), APRN, FNP-BC, GS-C, was recently honored with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) State Award for Outstanding Contributions. This prestigious annual award recognizes only one person from each state. Dr. Pratt was also recently featured as the Daily Nurse “Nurse of the Week”.
An associate professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, Pratt is the track leader and advisor for the family nurse practitioner and adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner programs. She also maintains a clinical practice providing cardiovascular care and risk reduction to Nevada first responders.
Introducing the $100 from 100 Challenge
We’re inviting 100 of our dedicated supporters to contribute $100 in honor of Frontier Nursing University’s century of impact.
Your gift will not only help us celebrate this monumental anniversary, but it will also support Frontier’s continued growth and its mission to empower future healthcare professionals. Together, we can ensure that Frontier Nursing University remains a leader in nursing and midwifery education for the next 100 years. Frontier has provided transformative healthcare service and education for generations of nurses, midwives, and healthcare leaders. Now, we are calling on YOU to help us mark this significant moment in our history.
How You Can Participate:
Give $100 – Any gift of $100 or more will make a meaningful impact for our students immediately. Give the gift of nursing and midwifery education TODAY!
Join Us Today!
Click the button below to be a part of this exciting challenge by making your $100 gift (or more!). Let’s come together as a community to honor FNU’s incredible history and ensure its continued success.
Thank you for your unwavering support. Here’s to 100 more years of excellence!
JOIN FNU’S NEW ALUMNI MENTORING PROGRAM!
Frontier Nursing University is establishing an Alumni Mentoring Program, and we invite you to participate as a mentor or a mentee. This is a unique opportunity to make a meaningful impact on fellow alumni by sharing your expertise, insights, and career advice, should you choose to serve as a mentor. If you want to participate in the program as a mentee, we will connect you with an FNU graduate who has identified your chosen focus area(s) as subjects in which they are particularly accomplished. Additionally, we seekalumni to mentor our Student Interest Groups, including Men in Nursing, Student Veterans, Students of Color, Neurodiversity, Latin@ Students, and LGBTQA+ Students. FNU’s Student Interest Groups are open to all students. To help us shape this mentoring program, we’d love to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to complete our Alumni Mentoring Program Interest Survey. Your input will allow us to tailor the program to meet the needs of both mentors and mentees. For more information, please email Caitlin Rivard, Director of Alumni Engagement, at caitlin.rivard@frontier.edu .
Take the Survey Here:
2025 Alumni Survey Student Outcomes and Success
Frontier surveys its graduates one year and five years post-graduation. The Alumni Survey is designed to allow graduates to reflect upon their education at Frontier Nursing University after graduation. The information collected is used to identify strengths in our programs and areas that need further development. We are surveying alumni who graduated from January - June 2024 and anytime in 2020. All participants will be entered into a drawing to win prizes from the FNU Gear Store. Please participate by checking your email and completing the survey. If you do not receive an email from us or prefer a paper copy, please contact the Director of Institutional Assessment at marilyn. lyons@frontier.edu
FNU Alumni! Check Out the Companion DNP Program
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
Curricular assessment, evaluation, and analysis are critical to enhancing student outcomes and success. Fueled by a commitment to student success, Frontier Nursing University’s Systematic Plan for Evaluation (SPE) reflects our ongoing, comprehensive assessment of the end-ofprogram student learning outcomes and program outcomes. The plan includes direct and indirect assessment methods, data outcomes, and a plan for yearly evaluation. The plan enables faculty to make data-informed curriculum decisions and show to accreditors the extent of student learning and program outcome achievement.
At Frontier Nursing University, the SPE exemplifies the faculty’s commitment to continuous quality improvement of the curriculum to promote student success. SPE data in both 2023 and 2024 demonstrated student achievement of end-of-program student learning outcomes at expected levels of achievement. Additionally, the expected levels of achievement in licensure and job placement were exceeded in 2023-2024. Every member of the FNU community contributes to student success and the SPE provides evidence that FNU graduates are exceeding expectations.
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 10,000 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.
FNU Faculty Podium and Poster Presentations
Dr. Torica Fuller DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FNP-C, WHNP-BC, CDP, CGRN, CPN, NRCME
Curtis, K.M., Nguyen, A.T., Tepper, N.K., Zapata, L.B., Snyder, E.M., HatfieldTimajchy, K., Kortsmit, K., Cohen, M.A., & Whiteman, M.K. (2024). U.S. selected practice recommendations for contraceptive use, 2024. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Recommendations and Reports, 73(3), 1-77. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/ mmwr.rr7303a1
Joanne Keefe DNP, MPH, FNP-c, CNE
Charlotte Swint DNP, MPH, FNP-BC, CNE
Khara’ Jefferson DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CHC
Keefe, J., Swint, C. and Jefferson, K. (2025) ‘Inclusive Excellence Using scaffolding of Population Health Concepts’, NONPF 51st Annual Conference. NONPF 51st Annual Conference, Denver, 21 April.
Jalana Lazar PhD, MPH, WHNP-BC, CNM, FACNM
Lazar, Jalana (2025, March 21–22). Zusammen Schwanger: Schwangernvorsorge in der Gruppe [Conference presentation]. ProMedico Geburtshilfe im Dialog Conference, Mannheim, Germany.
Audrey Perry
DNP, M.Ed.(c), CNM, APRN, A-GNP-C, CNE, FACNM
Anne Schaeffer DNP, CNM, M.Ed, CNE, FACNM
Kristin Gianelis DNP, APRN, ANP-BC, WHNPBC, MSCP
Schaeffer, A., & Gianelis, K. (2025). Health Equity in Action: Addressing Health Disparities through Competency-Based Learning. podium presentation at the 2025 NONPF Annual Conference.
FAANP
Perry, A., Tenney, E., Belcheff, T., & Delpech, P. (2025). Social Justice in Nursing Education: Embedding Cultural Safety in an APRN Curriculum. Podium. NONPF Annual Conference.
April Phillips
DNP, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC
Grace Ellen Urquhart DNP, FNP-BC
Phillips, A.; Urquhart, E. (October 2024). Where Two Rivers Meet: Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Indigenous Peoples in America. American Psychiatric Nurses Association Annual Conference, Louisville, KY. https://www.apna.org/apna-annualconference/
Vicky Stone-Gale DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, FNAP
Stone-Gale, V. & Stone, J. (2025, June). Intimate Partner Violence: Mental Health Challenges Among Male Victims. Poster presentation for American Association of Nurse Practitioners, San Diego, CA.
Wortman CNM, DNP
Tia Andrighetti DNP, CNM, CNE, CHSE-A, FACNM
Wortman, P. & Andrighetti, T. (April, 2025). Trauma-informed care in gynecology: Integrating evidence-based principles into APRN practice. Northern New England Nurse Practitioner Conference. Bretton Woods, NH.
Erin Tenney DNP, CNM
Tanya Belcheff DNP, CNM
Paula AlexanderDelpech PhD, APRN, PMHNP-BC,
Penny
Board of Directors Trustees
CHAIR
Marcus Osborne, MBA, Bentonville, AR
VICE CHAIR
Kerri Schuiling, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, Marquette, MI
SECRETARY
Nancy Hines, Shepherdsville, KY
TREASURER
Emma Metcalf, RN, MSN, CPHQ, Louisville, KY
Board Members
Elaine Bolle, BA, MBA, Chapel Hill, NC
William (Bill) Corley, MHA, Carmel, IN
Vernell DeWitty, Ph.D., MBA, RN, FAAN, Silver Spring, MD
Jean Johnson, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Cabin John, MD
Marcus Osborne, MBA, Bentonville, AR
Tim Raderstorf, DNP, RN, FAAN, Columbus, OH
Peter Schwartz, MD, Port St. Lucie, FL
Maria Small, MD, MPH, Durham, NC
Michael Steinmetz, CPA, CMA, CSCA, Bellevue, WA
Foundation Board Members
Peter Coffin, Chair, BA, Chestnut Hill, MA
Derek Bonifer, MBA, BA, Louisville, KY
Constance Brotherton, MA, BA, Lexington, KY
Brooke A. Flinders, DNP, RN, APRN-CNM, FACNM, Lexington, KY
Peter Schwartz, MD, Port St. Lucie, FL
President Emerita
Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM
Distinguished Chair of Midwifery and Nursing
Board Members Emeritus
Wallace Campbell, Ph.D., Berea, KY
John Foley, BBA, Lexington, KY
Marion McCartney, CNM, FACNM, Washington, DC
Michael T. Rust, MPH, Louisville, KY
Nancy Fugate Woods, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Seattle, WA
May Wykle, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, FGSA, Cleveland, OH
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
Dr. 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
ATTENTION ALUMNI
Important Update Regarding Frontier.edu Email Addresses
This is an important update regarding the frontier.edu email addresses for all Frontier Nursing University alumni.
After careful consideration and research, we’ve discovered that most alumni discontinue using their frontier.edu email addresses shortly after graduation. As FNU continues to grow, with more than 1,000 students graduating each year, maintaining these accounts has become increasingly costly and resource intensive. Beginning on August 1, 2025, alumni will retain access to their frontier.edu email accounts for one year after graduation. We encourage you to update your information with us so we may contcinue to share news and resources.
To report a new email address, please contact us scan this QR code.
We know that change can be challenging, and we genuinely appreciate your understanding and patience. We are committed to serving all FNU alumni and believe this updated structure will help us do so more effectively.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to alumni@frontier.edu. Thank you for your continued support and for being a valued part of the Frontier Nursing University community.
Do you have a new mailing or email address?
Please let us know. Simply email us at FNUnews@frontier.edu.
2050 Lexington Road Versailles, KY 40383
FNU@frontier.edu • 859.251.4700 frontier.edu
Our mission is to provide a high-quality education that prepares nurses to become competent, entrepreneurial, ethical and compassionate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to work with all people, with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities.
Our vision is to transform the health and well-being of individuals, families, and populations, and to promote healthcare equity by increasing access to highly skilled nursemidwives and advanced practice nurses.