Dr. Joan Slager has lived the full Frontier Nursing University experience. As a student, she was part of Frontier’s first Community-based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (CNEP) graduating class in 1991, led by fellow Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Kitty Ernst. As a practitioner, she precepted over 100 FNU students. As an instructor and administrator, she returned to Frontier, serving first as a faculty member and Director of the Doctor of Nursing Program, and then as the Dean of Nursing before retiring in February 2025.
Frontier Nursing University Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee Kitty Ernst
The history of Frontier Nursing University cannot be told without discussing the contributions, vision, and leadership of Kitty Ernst.
Eunice Katherine “Kitty” Macdonald Ernst was born on July 21, 1926, in Waltham, Massachusetts, and became a dynamic and committed pioneer in midwifery education and practice. She was passionate about ensuring that all families receive the best possible care during pregnancy and birth.
After graduating from the Waltham Hospital School of Nursing in Massachusetts, Kitty made the decision to embark on an adventure by working at Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) in Kentucky. During her time as a nurse at FNS, she was introduced to nurse-midwifery and inspired by the nurse-midwives who travelled on horseback in the rural mountains of Kentucky to deliver care to mothers and families. This led to her decision to attend the Frontier Graduate School of Midwifery, a part of the FNS, in Hyden, Kentucky, in 1951.
Frontier Nursing University Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee Dr. Susan Stone
Just one glance at Dr. Susan Stone’s history at Frontier Nursing University is all it takes to understand why she is a member of FNU’s first Alumni Hall of Fame inductees. Her more than three-decade journey at Frontier started in 1991 when she graduated as a nurse-midwife from FNU’s first distance learning class.
She served as Dean from 2000-2014 and as President from 2001-2024, holding both positions simultaneously from 2001-2014. Today, as FNU President Emerita and FNU’s Distinguished Chair of Midwifery and Nursing, she promotes midwifery and nursing both nationally and internationally.
Honoring a Legacy of Care:
Dr. Diane John Retires After More Than 40 Years in Nursing
After more than four decades of dedication to nursing and over 20 years in academia, Frontier Nursing University’s Interim Dean of Nursing Dr. Diane John, PhD, ARNP, FNP-BC, retired from her full-time faculty position in August. Dr. John is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and Associate Professor whose career reflects her unwavering commitment to service. She earned her master’s degree from Florida Atlantic University, followed by a PhD from Barry University. Since joining the nursing profession over 40 years ago, she has served in a variety of roles, from clinical care to faculty mentorship to curriculum development.
Holding on to the Star: Celebrating 100 Years of the Frontier Nursing Service (Part 3 of 3)
Holding on to the Star: Celebrating 100 Years of the Frontier Nursing Service is a three-part series covering the history of Frontier Nursing University. In this series, 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. Read about the “Pressing Need for an Innovative Educational Shift” and “Frontier in the 21st Century” in this segment of the series.
Holding on to the Star: Celebrating 100 Years of the Frontier Nursing Service (Part 2 of 3)
Holding on to the Star: Celebrating 100 Years of the Frontier Nursing Service is a three-part series covering the history of Frontier Nursing University. In this series, 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. Read about The War Years, Major Changes for the FNS Community at Midcentury and Family Nurse Practitioner Education in this segment of the series.
Holding on to the Star: Celebrating 100 Years of the Frontier Nursing Service (Part 1 of 3)
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. This is the first article in a three-part series.
Graduate Spotlight: Auriel Ciccarelli, CNM, WHNP, driven by calling to service and community
For Auriel Ciccarelli, CNM, WHNP, her journey in midwifery and women’s healthcare began with a passion for service and a deep understanding of the value of community, both of which were rooted in her upbringing. Ciccarelli’s professional journey has taken her from working as an RN in her home state of Pennsylvania to working as a CNM and ultimately as a WHNP. Along the way, she’s carried with her the spirit of connection and support she found at FNU.
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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).