Frontier Nursing University faculty members and alumni were proud to present during the Kentucky Symposium for Maternal and Infant Outcomes. The symposium was co-hosted by FNU in partnership with the Kentucky Section of the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN); the Kentucky Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Task Force; the Kentucky Perinatal Quality Collaborative and the Kentucky Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The symposium’s theme was “Team Kentucky Birth,” reflecting a shared commitment to collaborative, team-based care that improves outcomes for birthing people and infants across the Commonwealth. Frontier was honored to have a significant role in planning this event in our home state of Kentucky.
About Frontier Nursing University
A Century of Stories: Dr. Viktoriya Kashin
Dr. Viktoriya Kashin was born in Russia and moved with her family to the United States when she was 8 years old. Dr. Kashin credits her mother, who passed away while Viktoriya was in nursing school, for encouraging her to go into the medical field. She became a nurse but her desire to do more for her patients drove her to pursue her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at Frontier, graduating in 2020.
Presidential Tour Honors Graduates Making a Difference Across the Country
Frontier Nursing University President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders and the FNU team spent 2025 traveling across the country, meeting with more than 400 graduates, students, preceptors, and partners who are transforming healthcare in their communities every day. As FNU celebrated its 100th year of service and nursing education, the Presidential Tour became more than a series of visits, it became a living testament to the power and reach of the FNU mission nationwide.
Staff Spotlight: Turning her own experience into impact, Tai Bates helps FNU students thrive
Since joining the staff at Frontier Nursing University in 2024, Tai Bates, MPA, has been dedicated to helping students thrive, both academically and personally. As Student Success Coordinator, Bates plays a key role in the Student Engagement, Access, and Success team, leading initiatives that enhance student performance, promote personal growth and align with FNU’s mission and culture. In October, Bates was recognized with the Kentucky State University National Alumni Association 40 Under 40 Award.
A Century of Stories: Wendy Valhoff, CNM, FNP, MSN
Wendy Valhoff, CNM, FNP, MSN, is a 1980 graduate of the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing and a Fellow of the American College of Nurse Midwives. She grew up in California but moved to Kentucky when her husband was drafted and sent to Fort Campbell during the Vietnam War. Upon graduating from Frontier, Valhoff worked at Booth Maternity Centre in Philadelphia, including a stint as director of their midwifery practice. In 1983, Ruth Beeman recruited her to return to Hyden and assume a faculty position. She eventually became the Educational Coordinator, working with the FSMFN from 1983 – 1990.
Graduate Spotlight: Marli Parobek, APRN, DNP, FNP, PMHNP, receives AANP State Award for Outstanding Contributions
Frontier Nursing University graduate Dr. Marli Parobek, APRN, DNP, FNP, PMHNP, is using her education from FNU to make a lasting difference in the lives of her neighbors. After earning her Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) post-graduate certificate and later her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from FNU, Dr. Parobek has continued to embody the university’s mission of serving communities through compassionate, accessible care as the owner of Precision Psychiatry in Vashon Island, Washington.
Two FNU Leaders Earn Prestigious National Nursing Honors
Frontier Nursing University is proud to celebrate two outstanding leaders who have been recognized for their contributions and impact in nursing. FNU graduate and assistant professor Dr. Torica Fuller has been accepted as a Fellow of the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing. DNP Program Director Dr. Khara’ Jefferson was recently selected to serve on the National League of Nursing’s (NLN) Outcomes and Competencies for Graduates of Nursing Programs Strategic Action Group (SAG).
Building Leadership Skills Through a Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree
As today’s healthcare professionals take on more responsibility and advocate for system-wide improvements, leadership development becomes a cornerstone of advanced nursing education. Earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree is one of the most effective ways to build the leadership skills necessary to drive meaningful change in healthcare settings and beyond. Wherever you are in your nursing journey, pursuing a DNP can equip you with the tools to step confidently into executive and educational roles.
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Carrie Belin is an experienced board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and a graduate of the Johns Hopkins DNP program, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Georgetown University School of Nursing, and Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She has also completed fellowships at Georgetown and the University of California Irvine.
Angie has been a full-scope midwife since 2009. She has experience in various birth settings including home, hospital, and birth centers. She is committed to integrating the midwifery model of care in the US. She completed her master’s degree in nurse-midwifery at Frontier Nursing University (FNU) and her Doctorate at Johns Hopkins University. She currently serves as the midwifery clinical faculty at FNU. Angie is motivated by the desire to improve the quality of healthcare and has led quality improvement projects on skin-to-skin implementation, labor induction, and improving transfer of care practices between hospital and community midwives. In 2017, she created a short film on skin-to-skin called 
Justin C. Daily, BSN, RN, has ten years of experience in nursing. At the start of his nursing career, Justin worked as a floor nurse on the oncology floor at St. Francis. He then spent two years as the Director of Nursing in a small rural Kansas hospital before returning to St. Francis and the oncology unit. He has been in his current position as the Chemo Nurse Educator for the past four years. He earned an Associate in Nurse from Hutchinson Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Bethel College.
Brandy Jackson serves as the Director of Undergraduate Nursing Programs and Assistant Educator at Wichita State University and Co-Director of Access in Nursing. Brandy is a seasoned educator with over 15 years of experience. Before entering academia, Brandy served in Hospital-based leadership and Critical Care Staff nurse roles. Brandy is passionate about equity in nursing education with a focus on individuals with disabilities. Her current research interests include accommodations of nursing students with disabilities in clinical learning environments and breaking down barriers for historically unrepresented individuals to enter the nursing profession. Brandy is also actively engaged in Interprofessional Education development, creating IPE opportunities for faculty and students at Wichita State. Brandy is an active member of Wichita Women for Good and Soroptimist, with the goal to empower women and girls. Brandy is a TeamSTEPPS master trainer. She received the DASIY Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty in 2019 at Wichita State University. 
Dr. Sabrina Ali Jamal-Eddine is an Arab-disabled queer woman of color with a PhD in Nursing and an interdisciplinary certificate in Disability Ethics from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Dr. Jamal-Eddine’s doctoral research explored spoken word poetry as a form of critical narrative pedagogy to educate nursing students about disability, ableism, and disability justice. Dr. Jamal-Eddine now serves as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in UIC’s Department of Disability and Human Development and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities (NOND). During her doctoral program, Sabrina served as a Summer Fellow at a residential National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) Summer Institute at Arizona State University (2023), a summer fellow at Andrew W. Mellon’s National Humanities Without Walls program at University of Michigan (2022), a Summer Research Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute (2021), and an Illinois Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) trainee (2019-2020).
Vanessa Cameron works for Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nursing Education & Professional Development. She is also attending George Washington University and progressing towards a PhD in Nursing with an emphasis on ableism in nursing. After becoming disabled in April 2021, Vanessa’s worldview and perspective changed, and a recognition of the ableism present within healthcare and within the culture of nursing was apparent. She has been working since that time to provide educational foundations for nurses about disability and ableism, provide support for fellow disabled nursing colleagues, and advocate for the disabled community within healthcare settings to reduce disparities.
Dr. Lucinda Canty is a certified nurse-midwife, 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 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.
Dr. Nikia Grayson, DNP, MSN, MPH, MA, CNM, FNP-C, FACNM (she/her) is a trailblazing force in reproductive justice, blending her expertise as a public health activist, anthropologist, and family nurse-midwife to champion the rights and health of underserved communities. Graduating with distinction from Howard University, Nikia holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in public health. Her academic journey also led her to the University of Memphis, where she earned a master’s in medical anthropology, and the University of Tennessee, where she achieved both a master’s in nursing and a doctorate in nursing practice. Complementing her extensive education, she completed a post-master’s certificate in midwifery at Frontier Nursing University.
Dr. Tia Brown McNair is the Vice President in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Student Success and Executive Director for the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) Campus Centers at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) in Washington, DC. She oversees both funded projects and AAC&U’s continuing programs on equity, inclusive excellence, high-impact practices, and student success. McNair directs AAC&U’s Summer Institutes on High-Impact Practices and Student Success, and TRHT Campus Centers and serves as the project director for several AAC&U initiatives, including the development of a TRHT-focused campus climate toolkit. She is the lead author of From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education (January 2020) and Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Leadership for Student Success (July 2016 and August 2022 Second edition).