Frontier Nursing University prepares advanced practice nurses to make a meaningful impact on the lives of diverse and underserved patients. When prospective students reach out to us with enthusiasm for the next step in their careers, one of the most common questions we receive is how to choose the right specialty when pursuing a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC). Many students are deciding between our Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM), and Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) specialties. To make an informed decision, it’s important to understand the distinct role and focus of each specialty.
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. 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).
Graduate Spotlight: Emily Levingston Luna, CNM, MSN, opens Vida Midwifery in rural New Mexico
Frontier graduate Emily Levingston Luna, CNM, MSN, is making a significant impact on midwifery care in her home community of Las Cruces, New Mexico. As the founder of Vida Midwifery, she is dedicated to expanding access to quality maternal healthcare in the region. Luna earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) specialty from FNU in 2018.
Inclusive Faculty and Staff Representatives Appointed to Frontier Nursing University’s President’s Cabinet
Frontier Nursing University recently announced that two new members have been appointed to the university’s President’s Cabinet. FNU Regional Clinical Faculty (RCF) Jenkins Michelle Lawhorn, DNP, CNM, RNC-OB, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Coordinator Chris Turley, MS, BS, will serve on the President’s Cabinet throughout 2025. FNU’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.
A Century of Stories: Ruth Beeman, MPH
Ruth Beeman was born on January 10, 1925, in Harriston, Virginia. After graduating from high school, she entered the Army Nursing Corps in 1943, beginning a lifelong career in nursing. After her stint in the Army, she received a Diploma in Nursing from Baltimore General Hospital (1946), a Nurse Midwife Certificate from the Maternity Center Association School of Nurse-Midwifery in New York (1950), a B.S. in Public Health Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania (1950), a Diploma in Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium (1953) and a MPH from Columbia University (1957). Ruth’s career as a nurse-midwife and educator spanned six decades and multiple countries. Ruth served as Dean of the FSMFN from 1983-1989. After her stint as Dean, she became the first person to be named to the Chair of Midwifery position at Frontier.
Featured Preceptor: Deena Parsons, CNM
In the world of healthcare, there are individuals who go beyond their job descriptions to make a lasting impact on their patients and the next generation of professionals. Deena Parsons, CNM, with TriHealth Associates in Ob-Gyn, is one such individual. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Parsons has devoted more than a decade to serving women of all ages at her practice, from teens to postmenopausal individuals, providing compassionate care in all stages of their lives.
Dr. Diane John Named Interim Dean of Nursing
FNU has named Dr. Diane John, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, CNE, as the Interim Dean of Nursing in the wake of former Dean Dr. Joan Slager’s retirement. Dr. John is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Associate Professor. She earned a doctoral degree (PhD) from Barry University and a master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University. She has spent over 40 years in the nursing profession, including more than 20 years in academia.
A Century of Stories: Dr. Michael Carter
Dr. Michael Carter’s long history with Frontier Nursing University dates to 2003 when he joined what was then the Frontier Nursing Service Board of Governors. Dr. Carter has been a board member ever since and has served as the Board Chair since 2009.
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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).