Frontier Nursing University (FNU), located in Versailles, Ky., recently announced its annual award recipients. These awards are presented to FNU alumni who have gone on to make significant contributions to their communities or to the university. Among those honored was Nancy Reinhart, MPH, CNM, who is a certified nurse-midwife in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Reinhart was awarded FNU’s Courier Program Unbridled Spirit Award. This award is given annually to a former Courier who has perpetuated the mission and spirit of Frontier in their own lives. The criteria for this award include a dedication to serving others; ongoing, longstanding stewardship of FNU; and demonstration of personal conviction, courage, and a zest for adventure. The Courier program is an eight-week rural and public health-service learning program that targets college students with an interest in public health, healthcare, or a related field.
“We are so proud of our Courier program and of the many students who have spent their summers in this immersive experience to learn about rural health,” said FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM. “Nancy Reinhart is not only the past director of this program but also has gone on to embody the spirit of the program through her ongoing work in her community.”
Reinhart’s relationship with FNU began before she ever became a student. Between her junior and senior years of college, she participated in Frontier’s Courier program.
“My family has always been committed to helping people and giving service,” she said. “But the rural healthcare piece was inspired by my experience in the Courier program. I saw my first birth and it made a tremendous impact on me. I actually chose my master’s program because of that history.”
After her Courier experience, Reinhart earned a master’s degree in public health and began a job in social justice. Soon thereafter she was contacted by FNU and offered the opportunity to run the Courier program. She became interested in midwifery and began taking classes at FNU while running the Courier program. After graduating, Reinhart joined WellSpan OB/GYN in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as a full-scope nurse-midwife in July 2020. The practice, which consists of four nurse-midwives and four physicians, is the only one in the area that offers 24/7 nurse-midwifery care.
Because of her commitment to the university, the Courier program, and nurse-midwifery, FNU proudly honors Nancy Reinhart as the recipient of the 2021 Courier Program Unbridled Spirit Award.
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).