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FNU News
At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, Couriers and preceptors. Our blog features members of the FNU community who are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations. This is also where we keep you up-to-date on the latest news and upcoming events. Welcome and check back often!
If you have news to share with FNU, please send it to us at FNUnews@frontier.edu. If you have a specific idea for a blog or podcast, please submit it through our form here. If you are a student or graduate and are interested in sharing your story with us please submit your story here. Read more about recent events, our mission and future goals in our FNU publications.
FNU Names Dr. Susan Piper as Clinical Director of the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program
FNU has announced that Dr. Susan Piper, DNP, APRN, PMHNP- BC, has accepted the position of Clinical Director for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Program. Dr. Piper has been a faculty member at FNU since 2018. “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.”
Observing Black Maternal Health Week
To bring attention to the disparities in maternal mortality rates among Black mothers, Black Maternal Health Week is annually observed from April 11 to 17. Purposefully coinciding with National Minority Health Month, this initiative was established and is spearheaded by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA). The mission of the initiative is to deepen the national discourse on Black maternal health in the U.S.; amplify community-driven solutions in policy, research, and care; center the voices of Black mothers, women, families, and stakeholders; provide a national platform for Black-led initiatives on maternal health and reproductive justice; and bolster community organizing efforts on Black maternal health. This year, the theme for the week is “Our Bodies STILL Belong to Us: Reproductive Justice NOW!”
Alumni Spotlight: Tabetha “Jarel” Brown: A Nurse’s Journey
Tabetha “Jarel” Brown, FNP (Class 91), APRN, CNP, NP-C, always pictured becoming a nurse. In third grade, she drew a now-and-then picture of her as a third grader, and the “then” was her as a nurse. Today, that framed picture hangs in her office at Pinnacle Health Integrative Nurse Practitioners in Poteau, Oklahoma, a practice she and her husband opened in 2018. Since 2020, she and her family have become actively involved in Advocates for Africa, an evangelistic non-profit organization founded in Oklahoma and based in Rwanda, Africa. Brown has gravitated particularly to the medical needs of the people in Rwanda.
FNU’s President’s Cabinet offers diverse perspectives to move the university forward
Frontier Nursing University’s President’s Cabinet collaborates with the Board of Directors and university leadership to offer internal guidance and expertise on initiatives, policies, and operations that support FNU’s mission, vision, and culture of caring. In an effort to expand diverse perspectives within the Cabinet, FNU has added two volunteer members, one faculty and one staff member, to serve for a one-year term. Nomination and selection criteria prioritize candidates capable of offering insights currently underrepresented within the Cabinet. This year, Dr. Torica Fuller, FNU faculty member and FNP Clinical Transition Coordinator, and Samana Upadhyaya, Enterprise Applications Manager, were chosen to bring their unique experience to the Cabinet as the designated faculty and staff representatives.
Alumni Spotlight: Connie Smith leads care for sexual abuse survivors in Democratic Republic of the Congo
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, a time for advocates, survivors, their loved ones and the community to come together to talk openly about sexual violence to support survivors, increase knowledge and awareness and identify strategies and resources to prevent sexual violence. It also provides an opportunity to highlight the remarkable efforts of those who work with survivors of sexual assault, such as Frontier Nursing University alumnus Connie Smith. Graduating from FNU in 1999 with a Post-Graduate Certificate in Nurse-Midwifery, Smith’s trajectory led her to become the Coordinator of Survivors of Sexual Violence at Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, the capital of the Sud-Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
If you have news to share with FNU, please send it to us at FNUnews@frontier.edu. If you have a specific idea for a blog post, please submit it through our form here. If you are a student or graduate and are interested in sharing your story with us please submit your story here.
Conferences and Events Calendar
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Kentucky Association of Nurse Practitioners & Nurse-Midwives (KANPNM)
See you in Lexington, KY!
Nurse-Midwifery/Women’s Health LIVE Q&A Session
Are you interested in learning about FNU's Nurse-Midwifery program or Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner program? Join us for a Q&A session. Register
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) LIVE Q&A Session
Are you interested in learning about FNU's FNP program? Join us for a Q&A session. Register
Learn More
Learn more about the work of our alumni, students, faculty and staff in our annual President’s Report and Quarterly Bulletins.