Within her community in rural Maine, Frontier Nursing University alumnus Dr. Rachel Koransky-Matson, stands as a beacon of transformative healthcare, especially for those affected by diabetes. Graduating as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) in 2016 and completing her Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in 2017, Dr. Koransky-Matson said her journey began with a resounding desire to make a difference which led her to FNU.
2023 Year in Review
We have so much to be proud of in 2023, including our students, faculty, staff, alumni, preceptors and donors. We invite you to reflect on this past year at Frontier Nursing University.
Frontier Nursing University offers four specialty tracks for nurses
In the field of healthcare, everyone has their own unique passions and interests. That’s why at Frontier Nursing University we offer four specialty tracks with paths for a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC), depending on the student’s educational background and career goals. A Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is also offered as a degree option for those who have completed the MSN. Our specialty tracks are Nurse-Midwife, Family Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. All of our specialties share an emphasis on rural and underserved communities.
FNU’s DNP program reaches 15-year milestone
FNU welcomed its first DNP students in October 2008. In the 15 years since the first class enrolled, FNU’s DNP program has continued to grow and excel. In 2022, 190 students graduated from the DNP program, while 202 more students enrolled in the DNP.
Medical Mission Trip an ‘Important Experience’ for Megan Gagner
As a nurse-midwife at St. Lawrence Health System in Potsdam, New York, Dr. Megan Gagner, DNP (Class 30), APRN, CNM, is accustomed to working in a rural, underserved area. Potsdam is located in upstate New York, close to where Gagner grew up in St. Lawrence County, just 30 minutes from the Canadian border. Gagner worked as a labor and delivery nurse at St. Lawrence Health for four and a half years while completing her nurse-midwifery degree at Frontier Nursing University. Advancing her skills and knowledge has meant not only additional coursework but also the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Nicaragua earlier this year. It was a nine-day adventure that changed Gagner’s life.
Three reasons to pursue a DNP
If you hold a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), you may be curious about the growing trend of nurses opting for a DNP degree and whether pursuing one would be the right decision for you. In recent years, more and more nurses are choosing to advance their careers by earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Frontier Nursing University’s clinical doctorate is designed for registered nurses who want to take their nursing career, leadership skills and clinical expertise to the next level, with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities.
Jessica Bacon Answers the Call … From the White House
When the White House calls seeking your expertise, it is a pretty good indication that you are doing something right. That is exactly what happened to Jessica Bacon, CNM, APRN, MSN, and her colleagues at Wentworth-Douglas Hospital in Dover, New Hampshire. Among her duties in the hospital’s Women and Children’s Unit, Bacon is part of Seacoast STRENGTH, the multidisciplinary care team for pregnant people with substance use disorder.
Student Spotlight: Mara-Joanne Derinor aims to improve clinical education with DNP
The schedule of a healthcare professional can be challenging to navigate. Yet, Mara-Joanne Derinor manages to work as a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) while pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), authoring books and more.
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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).