Distance Education from the Birthplace of Nurse-Midwifery and Family Nursing in America
Spring Term 2025 FNU accepts applicants on a rolling admission process versus a standard admission process. Applicants can learn the status of their application within four to five weeks after […]
Students begin their journey with an orientation to Frontier Nursing University. Time is spent learning skills needed for distance education, making lifelong friends, reviewing courses, asking questions, and planning to be a successful Frontier student after returning home. Spring 2025 term begins April 7, 2025.
Students begin their journey with an orientation to Frontier Nursing University. Time is spent learning skills needed for distance education, making lifelong friends, reviewing courses, asking questions, and planning to be a successful Frontier student after returning home. Spring 2025 term begins April 7, 2025.
Students begin their journey with an orientation to Frontier Nursing University. Time is spent learning skills needed for distance education, making lifelong friends, reviewing courses, asking questions, and planning to be a successful Frontier student after returning home. Spring 2025 term begins April 7, 2025.
Students begin their journey with an orientation to Frontier Nursing University. Time is spent learning skills needed for distance education, making lifelong friends, reviewing courses, asking questions, and planning to be a successful Frontier student after returning home. Spring 2025 term begins April 7, 2025.
Students begin their journey with an orientation to Frontier Nursing University. Time is spent learning skills needed for distance education, making lifelong friends, reviewing courses, asking questions, and planning to be a successful Frontier student after returning home. Spring 2025 term begins April 7, 2025.
Students begin their journey with an orientation to Frontier Nursing University. Time is spent learning skills needed for distance education, making lifelong friends, reviewing courses, asking questions, and planning to be a successful Frontier student after returning home. Spring 2025 term begins April 7, 2025.
Summer Term 2025 FNU accepts applicants on a rolling admission process versus a standard admission process. Applicants can learn the status of their application within four to five weeks after […]
Join Frontier Nursing University community members for our 2025 Alumni and Friends Cruise! It’s time for relaxation, connection, and continuing education on the seas. Who: Frontier Nursing Alumni & Friends […]
Fall Term 2025 FNU accepts applicants on a rolling admission process versus a standard admission process. Applicants can learn the status of their application within four to five weeks after […]
FNU Information
Dr. Yvonne T. Maddox, Ph.D. is President and Chief Executive Officer of the TA Thornton Foundation, a family
foundation dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of underserved communities. Dr. Maddox
previously served as Vice President for Research and Professor of Allied Health Sciences at the Uniformed
Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), a part of the Department of Defense, where she oversaw
a robust clinical and basic science research portfolio, including infectious diseases, trauma and critical care
medicine, health maintenance, post-traumatic stress, and traumatic brain injury. Prior to joining USUHS, Dr.
Maddox held many leadership positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including Acting Director of
the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Deputy Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and Acting Deputy Director of the entire NIH.
Throughout her academic and government career, Dr. Maddox has been a champion of issues related to
women, children, and underserved populations. Among her many accomplishments include leading teams of
international scientists in the field of reproductive health as part of bi-lateral agreements between the U.S.,
India, and Africa; directing the highly recognized NIH program (the Back to Sleep Campaign) to reduce sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS); creating the NIH Down Syndrome (DS) Consortium, a federal/private
partnership to advance research in DS; and initiating the NIH-funded Well Prepared and Fit for Life childhood
obesity reduction programs. Dr. Maddox has numerous research and public policy publications and is a
recognized speaker in the area of public trust and community engagement in medical research. Her
memberships on critically important committees and working groups, several as chairperson, demonstrate her
commitment to improving the health and wellness of minority populations and to increasing their opportunities
in science and biomedical research. She currently serves as the Senior Strategic Advisor for the NIH Path to
Excellence and Innovation Initiative to advance funding opportunities for Historical Black Colleges and
Universities.
Among her memberships on advisory boards and committees include: the National Institute for Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS)/NIH Council Working Group on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion; Nutrition Research
Advisory Group, Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy, Tufts University; Advisory Council, Food is
Medicine Institute, Tufts University; the American Society for Nutrition Foundation Board of Trustees Executive
Committee; the Black AIDS Institute Scientific Advisory Committee, and the Miraki Innovation Board of
Directors.
Dr. Maddox has received many honors and awards, including the United States Presidential Distinguished
Executive Rank Award (the highest honor for a career civil servant), United States Presidential Meritorious
Rank Award, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Career Achievement Award, Public
Health Service Special Recognition Award, DHHS Secretary’s Award, NIH Director’s Award (including one that
bears her name), National Down Syndrome Society Champion of Change Award, Research Down Syndrome
Foundation Light the Way Award, Delta Sigma Theta Award for Public Service, the National Council of Negro
Women Partnership Award, the Hela Leadership Award for Excellence in Reproductive Medicine, Induction into
the Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) Hall of Fame, and selection as one of the top 30
Women in Higher Education by the Journal, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. She is the recipient of
several honorary degrees.
Dr. Maddox received her B.S. in biology from Virginia Union University, Richmond, and her Ph.D. in physiology
from Georgetown University. She studied as a Visiting Scientist at the French Atomic Energy Commission,
Saclay, France and graduated from the Senior Managers in Government Program of the Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University.
Wendy Post is a seasoned nursing professional and a passionate advocate for maternal health with over 25 years of experience. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and is currently pursuing a PhD at George Washington University School of Nursing. Her extensive career in nursing has been dedicated to addressing maternal morbidity and mortality, particularly in underserved communities impacted by maternal health deserts and maternal morbidity and mortality.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Wendy has taken on the role of a forensic nurse examiner in Maryland, enhancing her ability to support populations impacted by trauma. She is the founder of “The Birth Mark,” an organization committed to improving maternal health outcomes globally. Her organization has a specific branch dedicated to supporting women affected by maternal mortality, reflecting her deep commitment to advocacy and support for bereaved families.
Wendy’s current research involves a pilot study that explores the experiences of eyewitnesses and medical examiners involved in maternal deaths. This study employs verbal and social autopsy frameworks to gather comprehensive insights into the factors leading to maternal mortality. By interviewing bereaved family members and medical examiners, she aims to identify critical areas for improvement in maternal healthcare practices and inform policy changes that can reduce maternal deaths and address disparities in healthcare.
Her dedication to maternal health extends beyond research as she actively engages in community outreach, education, and advocacy. Wendy has begun to present her work at various national and international conferences. Her contributions to the field of maternal health are driven by a profound commitment to closing the gaps in healthcare disparities and improving outcomes for all women.
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.
With over 15 years of experience in public health and nursing, Nikia has dedicated herself to advancing reproductive rights and justice, birth justice, and midwifery. Her passion for midwifery shines through in her commitment to diversifying the workforce of midwives and birth workers, especially in the southern United States. As a fervent disruptor of the current healthcare system, Nikia is pioneering new models of care that prioritize midwifery and center the needs of Black and brown communities. Every day, she works Tirelessly to ensure that all individuals have the agency and resources to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
At CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health, Nikia serves as the Chief Clinical Officer, spearheading interfaces that have led to the establishment of the first nonprofit comprehensive reproductive health care center, the first Black midwifery fellowship program and the city’s inaugural birth center. Beyond her clinical leadership, Nikia sits on the Board of Directors for both the American College of Nurse Midwives and SisterReach, Tennessee’s foremost Reproductive Justice organization.
Driven by a profound sense of purpose, Nikia Grayson is transforming the landscape of reproductive healthcare, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of those she serves and the communities she uplifts.
Dr. Robert White is the recipient of a Mentored Research Training Grant (MRTG) from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) for his project titled “Health Disparities in Obstetrical Care and Delivery Outcomes Before and After Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol.”
Obstetrical healthcare disparities have been extensively reported, with Black women experiencing disproportionate mortality and severe maternal morbidity, explained Dr. White. The two-year, $250,000 grant will support Dr. White’s research into the effect of implementing Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols on delivery outcomes, and the development of a data-driven dashboard for clinicians. The support will further Dr. White’s research into interventions that promote patient equality and equity. Dr. Kane Pryor is the primary faculty mentor.
In the first phase of the project, Dr. White and researchers from the Center for Perioperative Outcomes will investigate obstetrical healthcare disparities on a national scale using databases from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). In the second phase, they will study the impact of the evidence-based ERAS protocols.
“We’re looking at pre- and post-implementation of ERAS protocols in terms of outcomes for white, Black, Hispanic and Asian patients to see if these new care processes attenuate or eliminate disparities that exist,” said Dr. White.
Dr. White’s goal is to apply the research from the first two research questions to the development of a data-driven dashboard for clinicians that will help provide patient care recommendations and data visualizations.
“Maternal mortality and morbidity is a major crisis afflicting our nation,” said Dr. White. “It’s exciting that healthcare disparities projects are getting an increased level of funding and that solutions to these national crises are being investigated.”
Dr. Robert White is an assistant professor of anesthesiology and was a Van Poznak Research Scholar in the Department of Anesthesiology. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Cornell University, his medical degree and a master’s in clinical research from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and completed his anesthesia residency and obstetric anesthesia fellowship training at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He has authored numerous manuscripts exploring healthcare disparities in perioperative outcomes and quality of care.
The FAER MRTG grant provides support for early-career training of anesthesiologist-scientists to achieve independence as scientific investigators.
Karlie Porter Masaga is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Womens Health Nurse Practitioner providing care to women across their lifespan. Karlie started her career as a Midwife and Nurse Practitioner in Utah County. She has since joined the Birthcare Healthcare team and is enjoying her time caring for women in the Salt Lake and surrounding areas. Karlie is passionate about providing evidence-based care to women. She strives to ensure all her patients feel heard, understood, and receive best practice at each stage of their life from teenage years, through childbearing, labor, birth, and menopause.
Karlie is an adjunct faculty for University of Utah College of Nursing teaching new midwifery and women’s health providers. She has a strong passion for helping those who come from different backgrounds and cultures. Prior to going into the medical field, Karlie worked for the State of Utah Juvenile Justice system where her love for teens from diverse backgrounds flourished. During her Doctorate of Nursing Practice degree at University of Utah Karlie took part in the research of sexually transmitted infections in Fiji with the University of California San Francisco. Karlie has continued to stay connected with Pacific Islanders through her church, community and family. She is currently working on outreach to Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander women who are seeking healthcare by providing services at South Main Clinic. During her time off you will find her paddle boarding, biking, playing sports, and enjoying a lot of laughter with her husband and family.
Jeelan Fall is a Certified Nurse Midwife and Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner providing full scope services including routine gynecologic care throughout the lifespan, contraception, pre-conception counseling, pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum care. Jeelan is a first-generation graduate with a life-long calling to the world of childbirth and women’s health. She believes in the philosophy of shared decision-making between patients and their care providers. She received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Utah.
Dr Fall has a particular passion for maternal health disparities and how they tie into increased rates of morbidity and mortality among mothers and neonates who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). In her free time, she enjoys traveling to any place in the world with a beach and spending time with her family.
Eugene Declercq, Ph.D., M.B.A., is a professor of community health sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health and professor on the faculty of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Boston University School of Medicine. His current research focuses primarily on maternal mortality and morbidity. He is part of the team that has produced six reports on women’s experiences in childbirth, Listening to Mothers. He is a current member of the Massachusetts Maternal Mortality Review Committee and on the board of March for Moms. He was principal investigator on two NIH funded collaborative projects examining child and maternal outcomes associated with Assisted Reproductive Technologies (MOSART project) and is one of the founders of the Pregnancy to Early Life Longitudinal (PELL) data system that has linked vital statistics, hospital, and administrative data on more than 1,200,000 births in Massachusetts since 1998. He has also been active in a variety of public health projects in his hometown of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
He is the founder of the website www.birthbythenumbers.org, where additional data on maternal mortality and other maternal and infant health outcomes can be found. He is also a recipient of the Martha May Eliot Award from the American Public Health Association for service to maternal and child health and the Greg Alexander Award for research in maternal and child health epidemiology.
He has Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from Florida State University and a M.BA. from University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Holly Powell Kennedy, PhD, CNM, FACNM, FAAN was the inaugural Helen Varney Professor of Midwifery (now emeritus) at the Yale University School of Nursing. She has served as the President of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and received the 2016 Hattie Hemschemeyer Award, their highest honor. Her program of research is focused on a greater understanding of the effectiveness and outcomes of specific models of care during the childbearing year, especially is support of childbearing physiology. She was a Fulbright Distinguished Fellowship at King’s College London in 2008 and is currently a Fulbright Specialist. She is a retired Colonel in the US Army Nurse Corps Reserve.
Michelle Debbink, MD/PhD FACOG is an Assistant Professor of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She grew up in the Air Force and enjoyed moving frequently around the US and abroad. She received her bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Policy Studies from Rice University, and her MD and PhD in Health Services Organization and Policy (social epidemiology focus) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at University of Michigan as well, and then moved to the University of Utah for her Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellowship. She is a current Reproductive Scientist Development Program scholar, and is funded to conduct research on the community and geographic drivers of racial and ethnic inequities in severe maternal morbidity and maternal mortality. In particular, her research focuses on a population health-community engaged translational continuum to amplify resilience and build interventions to close gaps in perinatal care in partnership with American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander women and birthing people. She also serves as the Departmental Vice Chair for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the ObGyn Department at the University of Utah, and the Assistant Program Director for the Women’s Health Equity Fellowship at the University of Utah.
Robert M. (Bob) Silver, MD has been in the division of maternal fetal medicine at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center for over 30 years. He holds the John A. Dixon Presidential Endowed Chair and is Professor and Chairman of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Silver’s clinical and research interests include recurrent pregnancy loss and stillbirth, cesarean delivery, placenta accreta spectrum, preeclampsia, vaginal birth after cesarean delivery, immunologic diseases in pregnancy, and medical disorders in pregnancy.
Amy Holt, FNU Disability Services Coordinator
Amy Holt has served as the Disability Services Coordinator at Frontier Nursing University (FNU) for six years. In this role, she collaborates with faculty, staff, and students to ensure that the needs of students with disabilities are met across all academic areas. Amy serves as an advocate with or on behalf of the students, ensuring they have access to the necessary resources and support.
Prior to her current role at FNU, Amy worked with the Kentucky Department of Vocational Rehabilitation Services in various capacities for nearly eight years. As an American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreter for the D/deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing populations, she adeptly navigated linguistic and cultural variations while thoughtfully applying ethical decision-making skills and best practices. Amy also provided collaborative support for independent living and life skills, advocating tirelessly for individuals’ rights to access within the workplace and beyond. Her efforts aimed at removing barriers and fostering successful outcomes for individuals seeking to gain or maintain competitive integrated employment.
With experience spanning vocational sectors and regions across the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Amy’s expertise in disability services, advocacy, and the success and social justice of individuals with disabilities drives her motivation. As an honored recipient of Frontier Nursing University’s Culture of Caring Award, she remains dedicated to championing inclusivity, access, and empowerment for all.
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).
Dr. Jamal-Eddine’s goal is to create transformative change within healthcare education praxis by developing engaging pedagogic strategies to educate healthcare students about ableism and intersectional identity-based oppression. Her long-term goal is to found an interdisciplinary, applied public-humanities community-engaged healthcare equity center in a university that confronts healthcare inequity, violence, and oppression and promotes intersectional, cross-identity liberation, humanization, and belongingness for all patients, students, and practitioners.
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.
She is an artist, poet, and historian. She uses her art and poetry to bring awareness to maternal health. She provides women’s health care at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England. She currently hosts web discussions Overdue Reckoning on Racism in Nursing. She founded Lucinda’s House, a Black Maternal Health Collective, to promote maternal health equity through community collaboration and programs that provide support and education. Dr. Canty has received funding for her research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
She has published in various journals, including AJN, American Journal of Nursing, Nursing Inquiry, Journal of Advanced Nursing, Birth, and Nursing Philosophy. Dr. Canty is a contributing editor for the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health’s Ask the Midwife Column. Additionally, she is a sought-after nurse scholar in addressing both maternal health equity and anti-racism initiatives. She is a frequent featured speaker virtually and in person at local, regional, national, and international conferences focused on the challenges of reducing disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality.
She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the American College of Nurse Midwives. She is the 2023 Yale School of Nursing Alumni Association (YSNAA) Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient and the recipient of the 2023 Florence S. Wald Award from the Connecticut Nurses’ Association. She is the 2024 Columbia University School of Nursing 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award for Nursing Practice.
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.
In addition to developing impactful programs, Dr. Meeks plays a pivotal role in advancing equity through her collaborations with health professions associations. Through these collaborations she spearheads efforts to ensure that health science trainees and program leadership receive the support and resources they need to thrive in their respective specialties.
Dr. Meeks is a prolific scholar and widely recognized as a leading expert in this field. Her
research findings have been published in leading journals, including the NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, and Academic Medicine, underscoring the significance of her work. Her contributions extend beyond research to the realm of education and advocacy, where she has co-created impactful social media campaigns and podcasts, working tirelessly to promote disabled clinicians and scholars and reduce harmful disability stereotypes in health professions training and STEM.
Within the wide range of accomplishments she holds, Dr. Meeks most valuable role to date is becoming a grandmother. She cites her time with her grandson Charlie as the most rewarding and “bucket filling” moments in her life.
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.
With over 15 years of experience in public health and nursing, Nikia has dedicated herself to advancing reproductive rights and justice, birth justice, and midwifery. Her passion for midwifery shines through in her commitment to diversifying the workforce of midwives and birth workers, especially in the southern United States. As a fervent disruptor of the current healthcare system, Nikia is pioneering new models of care that prioritize midwifery and center the needs of Black and brown communities. Every day, she works Tirelessly to ensure that all individuals have the agency and resources to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.
At CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health, Nikia serves as the Chief Clinical Officer, spearheading initiatives that have led to the establishment of the first nonprofit comprehensive reproductive health care center, the first Black midwifery fellowship program and the city’s inaugural birth center. Beyond her clinical leadership, Nikia sits on the Board of Directors for both the American College of Nurse Midwives and SisterReach, Tennessee’s foremost Reproductive Justice organization.
Driven by a profound sense of purpose, Nikia Grayson is transforming the landscape of reproductive healthcare, leaving an indelible mark on the lives of those she serves and the communities she uplifts.
The first dancer to be named People Magazine “Women Changing the World,” and named InStyle Magazine Badass 50, Adidas “women reimagining sport,” CBS News “People Making a Difference”, and featured on Good Morning America and NBC Today, Marisa is an award-winning Transformational Movement Artist, Speaker, and Changemaker dedicated to creating a more inclusive just world where we can each feel alive, not just survive.
Marisa’s lived experiences of her body repeatedly not being accepted as a dancer, her Japanese American identity not fitting the box in many spaces, and surviving a stroke that initially paralyzed her from the neck down, eventually led her to create Infinite Flow, an award-winning nonprofit dance company that employs disabled and nondisabled artists with diverse, intersectional identities with a mission to use dance as a catalyst to dismantle biases and promote inclusion.
During the last year, Marisa was diagnosed with two invisible disabilities: PTSD and Autism. The diagnoses brought much clarity to the challenges she’s coped with throughout her life.
Marisa is passionate about transforming forward-thinking businesses through keynotes, performances, and content that inspire inclusivity and move hearts, bodies, and minds, so that their teams become more connected, purpose-driven, and alive. She has brought unique unforgettable keynote presentations and performances to some of the biggest enterprises in the world, including Meta, Apple, Red Bull, NBCUniversal, Deloitte, PayPal, International Monetary Fund, Farmers Insurance, Kaiser Permanente, Porsche, McKinsey & Co, Clifford Chance, amongst other brands. Marisa made history along with wheelchair dancer Piotr Iwanicki by becoming the first dancer to perform at Apple’s Steve Jobs Theater, sharing the stage with Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Since 2015, Marisa has led Infinite Flow to perform at over 160 events, from large global events to local school assemblies & community festivals. Heading the creative & artistic direction, Infinite Flow’s videos have tracked over 100 million views on Facebook alone. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Marisa spearheaded Infinite Flow to turn its in-person elementary school assembly program into a virtual program, launching Scoops of Inclusion, a 47-minute short film celebrating diversity and empowering kids to take an active role in creating a more inclusive world where we each feel we belong.
Marisa is bilingual and bicultural. She completed her BA & MA from Keio University, Tokyo. She is an Honorary Member (Distinguished Artist) of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. She is a speaker, thought leader, performing artist, and multi-dimensional creator on the rise, seeking to creatively inspire inclusion, innovation, and transformation through movement, dance, and storytelling.
More on Marisa at MarisaHamamoto.com.
Lucero, Robert J. PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN
Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Professor of Nursing, and Audrienne H. Moseley Endowed Chair in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
University of California, Los Angeles, School of Nursing
My research program focuses on improving health outcomes of vulnerable populations using innovative health systems and informatics approaches. Two prominent themes of my work are: enhancing the quality of care for hospitalized older adults and improving self-management of chronic health conditions among Hispanic, African-American, and LGBTQ+ populations. My research is distinguished by interdisciplinary team science, which bridges nursing, medicine, psychology, computer science, and engineering, health systems, communities, and other academic institutions.
My research is leading the way to inform infrastructure development for data-driven knowledge generation that serves as a model for organizations across the United States (US) to improve the quality of care for hospitalized older adults. I am leveraging electronic patient, clinical, and administrative data and data science methods to identify valid, modifiable factors that predict hospital-acquired falls (HAF), which affect annually approximately one million US hospitalized patients. Studies I have published show that, in 168 US hospitals, poor nursing care quality was associated with more adverse patient events, including HAF. Using artificial intelligence approaches with electronic health record (EHR) data, I have discovered a set of six new clinical and organizational factors that can predict HAF. These findings were among the most downloaded in 2019, and have widespread implications since hospital patient falls continue to be a significant clinical concern internationally in healthcare systems. My lab also explores the use of registered nurses’ (RNs’) progress notes, or text data on patient observations, to predict HAF. We were the first to publish that RNs’ notes contain information about clinical, environmental, and organizational factors that can predict fall risk. I am Principal Investigator (PI) of a 5-year $2.57 million award from the National Institute on Aging. This cutting-edge health systems project is exploiting the use of text and structured EHR data to validate predictors of HAF and hospital-induced delirium. This study will expand the University of Florida Health EHR research infrastructure for data-driven knowledge generation.
The other cornerstone of my research program is developing health information technology (HIT) to promote chronic disease self-management. I pioneered and published a HIT design approach, known as Consumer-centered Participatory Design (C2 PD). Unlike other design approaches, C2 PD provides public health and community-based organizations, academic researchers, and commercial designers with a theoretically informed approach that engages consumers throughout the development and evaluation of HIT. C2 PD builds on the strengths and resources within a community, promotes a collaborative learning and empowering process, facilitates collaborative partnerships, and incorporates four components of HIT design, namely; user preferences, functions, tasks, and representational requirements, to develop highly usable systems. We introduced this innovative approach and presented our findings to informaticians at the International Medical Informatics Association Nursing Informatics Congress in 2012. We demonstrated that using the C2 PD approach resulted in a highly useful and usable fall prevention self-management system for English- and Spanish-speaking older adults. Since then, multiple investigators of HIT development and systematic review articles have referenced the use of the C2 PD approach. The C2 PD approach has been the basis of my other funded studies, including a $2.8 million National Institute of Nursing Research and $1.0 million Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality award. I have disseminated further wide-ranging use of the C2 PD method, including creating a mobile Health (mHealth) application (app) interface for Hispanic caregivers of persons with dementia to self-manage chronic stress and burden and an mHealth app to support African American caregivers of children with chronic asthma and obesity. The lessons I learned developing the C2 PD approach are represented in a paper I co-authored that focuses on using HIT to engage communities to improve health and reduce health disparities in populations. This is significant to the work I am conducting among people living with HIV. A study I published showed that a large proportion (85.5%) of people living with HIV are interested in using a mHealth app that supports HIV self-management, including functions to identify health services, provide health tips and medication reminders, communicate with healthcare providers, track their mood and emotions, and engage in social networking. My lab is expanding this research with funding from the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA) and the Florida Department of Public Health to inform creating and testing a technology-enabled self-management intervention.
I have developed an independent and externally funded health services and informatics research program of over $8.85 million as PI. I publish in high impact journals and researchers and scholars in nursing, health services, and informatics cite my research regularly according to citation analytics (>1024, h-index:14, i10-index:18). Additionally, federal government agencies have recognized my research. I was a standing member of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality HIT Research review panel from 2016-2020, and served on multiple NIH Special Emphasis Review Panels. My peers have recognized the impact of my research nationally, and I am disseminating my research program internationally. I am a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and the New York Academy of Medicine. In 2019, I received a 3-year UF Term Professorship that acknowledged my academic accomplishments in shaping the UF College of Nursing and the nursing discipline. I am currently the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Professor of Nursing (with tenure); and, the Adrienne H. Mosely Endowed Chair in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Nursing.
Born in Orange, California and raised in the beautiful state of Oregon, Rebekka Eshler has had an adventurous life. Being raised by her wonderful grandmother, she learned valuable life lessons earlier than her peers. After graduating high school and a few confusing years in college, Rebekka decided it was time to make a change and decided to join the United States Army and becoming a Fire Support Specialist Paratrooper. Rebekka was stationed all the way up in the last frontier state of Alaska. Even before transitioning, she was embraced by the LGBTQIA’s community.
After leaving the service, Rebekka delayed her transition as she started her professional piloting career at University of Alaska Anchorage. After many nights of deep thought and struggle, Rebekka decided that she loved helping people and redirected her efforts towards a Political Science Degree. She also took biology and chemistry classes because she fell in love with medicine after becoming an Emergency Medical Technician. While at UAA Rebekka’s passion for helping others and leadership got even stronger. She was participated in many different student leadership organization and even became the Student Veterans of America Chapter President at UAA. Rebekka also began working as a volunteer for the Non Governmental Organization Mobile Medics International, that provides medical response to natural disasters and humanitarian crises around the world.
After coming out as a proud trans woman in 2018, Rebekka began reconnecting with her local LGBTQIA community in Anchorage. She began being a major voice for the LGBTQIA Community in her final year of college. From being the first openly transgender SVA UAA Chapter President, to working at the homeless shelter as an EMT, Rebekka wasn’t afraid to speak up and make sure that everyone was receiving equal treatment. After Graduating in 2020, during the pandemic, Rebekka decided it was time to be more active and joined the board of Transgender American Veteran Association as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations. In this role she built relationships with other Veteran organizations and LGBTQIA organizations.
Rebekka represented her state as Miss Trans Alaska 2022 and won Miss Congeniality at the national Miss Trans USA 2022 pageant. She is currently serving as the National President of The Transgender American Veteran Association.
Shea Rose has held a variety of titles throughout her career, including singer-songwriter, yogi, style icon, and music curator, to name a few. Her music, influenced by soul, hip-hop, rock, and folk, addresses identity, self-acceptance, and spiritual transformation. Former Boston Globe music critic Steve Morse described her as “that rare artist who can bridge diverse styles such as soul, funk, rock, rap, and jazz — and bring her unique stamp to each.”
Rose is a featured songwriter and vocalist on two Grammy Award-winning jazz albums by legendary drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, The Mosaic Project, and Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue. She has received numerous accolades for her musical abilities, including multiple Boston Music Awards, a SESAC National Performance Activity Award, the Songwriters Hall of Fame’s Abe Olman Scholarship, and, most recently, the Andrea C. Silbert Rising Star Award from the Center for Women & Enterprise for her Embodied Voice & Yoga business.
Rose has independently released three full-length solo projects: Little Warrior Mixtape, Rock’ n Rose EP, and D.T.M.A. (Dance This Mess Around) EP. In 2020, Rose recorded a cover of Sinéad O’Connor’s “Black Boys on Mopeds,” a powerful commentary on police brutality in black communities. The music video was published and promoted by TEDxTalks. Rose has performed in Barbados, Cuba, Jamaica, Italy, Greece, and Romania, as well as at Symphony Hall in Boston, the Blue Note Jazz Club, and SXSW.
Rose is an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music. When she’s not on the stage offers Embodied Voice & Yoga coaching and consulting to individuals and organizations. Embodied Voice & Yoga Coaching by Shea Rose is a certified Women and Minority Owned Business whose mission is to empower brown and black women and girls to communicate their highest goals with courage, compassion, and clarity.
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Patricia K. Bradley PHD, RN, FAAN is an Associate Professor and the Inaugural Associate Dean of Inclusive Excellence at the Fitzpatrick College of Nursing (FCN) at Villanova University.
Dr. Bradley’s current work focuses on diversity, equity and inclusion and fostering cultural humility in students, faculty, staff, and healthcare providers. Her research and service activities represent her commitment and contribution to ensuring a “voice for the voiceless” and to developing a culture of trust with vulnerable populations who lack access to address their concerns.
Dr. Bradley is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. She is the immediate past Chair of the Academy’s Health Equity Expert Panel and a mentor for the Academy’s Jonas Policy Scholars Program’s National Policy Mentoring Council (NPMC).
A graduate of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN) 2022 Diversity Leadership Institute, Dr. Bradley is the chair elect for AACN’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Leadership Network (DEILN) and a contributor to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Faculty Tool Kit.
At Villanova Dr. Bradley serves as faculty co-advisor for the newly formed Multicultural Student Nurses Organization (MSNO), a service organization developed by students and dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment for historically underrepresented nursing students. Dr. Bradley is also chair of a parallel program, the FCN’s steering committee for Healthy Work Environment Initiatives working with faculty and staff to foster an inclusive environment where all faculty, staff, and students are respected, accepted, and valued.
Dr. Vicki Hines-Martin is a Professor and the Associate Dean, Office of Community Engagement and Diversity Inclusion in the University of Louisville School of Nursing. In addition, she holds a joint appointment as the Director of Community Outreach in the UofL Health Sciences Center Office of Diversity and Inclusion which serves the schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing, and public health. Dr. Hines-Martin is an associate director in the NIEHS funded UofL Center for Integrative Environmental Health Sciences and a Commonwealth Scholar in the Kentucky Commonwealth Institute. She has been a psych-mental health clinical nurse specialist for 36 years. Her area of scholarship includes mental health disparities, culture, social justice/equity, and community engagement.
Dr. Hines-Martin has numerous presentations and publications which include the Routledge Handbook of Global Mental Health Nursing: Evidence, Practice and Empowerment. New York, NY: Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group (Yearwood, E. & Hines-Martin [Eds], 2017). Dr. Hines-Martin has received many awards and recognitions for her work from organizations such as The Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice. Dr. Hines-Martin served as the President of the International Society for Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing and is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
Michelle DeCoux Hampton, RN, PhD, MS is the Director of Academic Nursing and Patient Care Research in the Office of Research Patient Care Services at Stanford Health Care. Dr. Hampton formerly served in a variety of academic roles at Samuel Merritt University (2005-2018) including Professor and Director of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program and at San Jose State University (2018-2022) as Professor and Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Coordinator in the Valley Foundation School of Nursing, as well as Assessment Facilitator and Special Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the College of Health and Human Sciences.
Her expertise and experience includes psychiatric mental health nursing and research methods for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students with knowledge of student engagement in various modalities including face-to-face, hybrid, online, and simulation. Her research and service interests are focused on promoting health equity for underserved populations, in part by increasing access to health professional education for members of underrepresented communities, and by educating current students and practicing professionals regarding health equity. As an Advisory Council Member for the Salvation Army, Garden Street Center in Oakland, she spearheaded an initiative to create a certified nursing assistant program within the vocational education program as an entry point to the nursing profession for shelter residents and others in the local community. She also serves as a holistic admissions review consultant for the American Association of Colleges of Nursing providing training for faculty and administrators in US nursing programs. Workshops educate participants in methods to increase diversity within nursing programs that are considering or have already implemented holistic admissions review and/or evaluation.
Kendra M. Barrier. PhD, MSN, RN, CNE
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans School of Nursing (LSUHSC-NO SON)
Dr. Barrier is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing, serving as the Inaugural Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2021 to present) and the former Assistant Dean for Student Services (2015-2021) at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans School of Nursing (LSUHSC-NO). She is also an Associate Faculty for the School of Graduate Studies at LSUHSC-NO, a National League for Nursing (NLN) Certified Nurse Educator, an American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Diversity Leadership Institute Fellow, and an AACN Elevating Leaders in Academic Nursing (ELAN) Fellow. She a mentor for the third cohort of AACN Diversity Leadership Institute. She provides a strategic vision and leadership by engaging in quality improvement and programmatic development by promoting a culture of inclusive excellence. She is currently piloting the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Elements Tool (DEIET), threading DEI through the SON curricula. She is a mentor and coach, and is passionate about the academic success of underrepresentative minority students.
Externally, Dr. Barrier is the President for New Orleans District Nurses Association (2020 to present). An active member several committees and taskforce for the Louisiana State Nurses Association; the Chair of the AACN DEI Leadership Network; and a member of the AACN Organizational Leadership Network (OLN) Steering Committee and Co-Chair of the Communications Committee; a member of the National League for Nursing Education Awards Committee; a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA), a member of the Epsilon Nu Chapter-at-Large of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), and a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) DEI Collaboration. Dr. Barrier also serves as the Presidential Consultant for the Louisiana Association of Student Nurses. Lastly, she is a member of the New Orleans (LA) Chapter of The Links Incorporated.
Dr. Barrier has presented diversity, equity, and inclusion content, diversity leadership vision, and where DEI fits into Academic Nursing Education locally, regionally, and nationally. She has also been a member of several DEI panel presentations.
She earned her BSN (2000) and MSN (2009), in Nursing Education, from LSUHSC, and received a PhD (2016), in Nursing Education and Administration, from William Carey University.
Jean Edward, PhD, RN, CHPE, is an Associate Professor and Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the College of Nursing, and Nurse Scientist for UK HealthCare’s Markey Cancer Center.
Dr. Edward’s program of research is focused on promoting equity in healthcare access, affordability, and health outcomes for underserved communities by intervening on the social determinants of health. She utilizes mixed methods and implementation science approaches to design and implement sustainable multi-level interventions that promote equity in access to and affordability of care. She has implemented several nationally funded oncology financial navigation programs to address financial toxicity of cancer experienced by pediatric and adult patients, survivors and caregivers. Dr. Edward has been funded by the National Cancer Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, American Cancer Society, Kentucky Nurses Association, Sigma Theta Tau International, and the Kentucky Pediatric Cancer Trust Fund. Her work has been published in over 40 peer-reviewed publications and presented at over 70 national, regional, and local conferences. She is the Associate Editor of Clinical Nursing Research and a fellow of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s Diversity Leadership Institute.
Heidi Loomis, DM, CRNP, CNM enjoys supporting clinical midwifery and women’s health nurse practitioner students and their preceptors in her role as Regional Clinical Faculty at Frontier Nursing University. She recently completed a Doctorate of Midwifery degree at The Midwifery Institute at Jefferson. Her doctoral research focused on biases that midwifery students across the U.S. experience in their clinical settings – the types and prevalence of bias as well as its impact on midwifery students’ commitment to the completion of their academic programs and to the profession of midwifery. Part of her research also included the emotional responses and behavioral coping mechanisms employed by students in response to bias, whether midwifery students witnessed anyone intervening, and whether or not students reported experiences of bias. For this work, Heidi received the American College of Nurse-Midwives Foundation’s 2022 W. Newton Long Award for the Advancement of Midwifery. Heidi has been interested in culturally respectful care and the growth of midwifery for decades. She has presented to academic, government, non-governmental, and private institutions on topics including anti-racism, privilege, and midwifery. Heidi also enjoyed clinical practice as a family nurse practitioner and certified nurse-midwife for over 30 years in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She is a graduate of Juniata College, Yale School of Nursing, Frontier Nursing University, and The Midwifery Institute at Jefferson, College of Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
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).
