In 2025, Frontier Nursing University celebrates the 100-year anniversary of the inception of the Frontier Nursing Service. We are grateful for the alumni, students, couriers, donors, volunteers, friends, and employees who have made an incredible impact on FNU’s century-long journey. We are celebrating this milestone year by capturing and sharing some of the countless stories that make up our history. Whatever your connection to FNU, we hope you enjoy these stories and are inspired to share your own story with us.
When the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the United States in early 2020, the public responses ranged from panic to denial. As businesses and services were restricted or completely shut down across the country, FNU alumni stepped forward. True to the Frontier mission, they were determined, creative, and brave in their efforts to serve their communities.
Here are two examples of the countless acts of heroism performed by FNU alumni amidst the panic and chaos of the pandemic:
Opening A New Practice During a Pandemic: Traci Buran, MSN, FNP, DNP (Class 34) knew there was a need for her new clinic when she opened Affinity Family Practice on March 2, 2020, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, just days before the COVID-19 Pandemic. That need was emphasized as the adoption of masks in public places and working and attending school from home became the norm.
“I don’t think that anyone was truly prepared for COVID. However, FNU did a great job of instilling evidence-based practice and sense of community into us as students, and I believe that these two principles combined are very powerful tools in the healthcare setting, especially during a pandemic,” Buran said.
The new practice faced an unexpected question: How could Buran and her team care for their patients safely? They adjusted quickly, implementing telehealth visits and offering drive-up care for COVID swabs and services.
“When you are trying to advertise and attract new patients, it is very difficult when people are scared to leave their homes,” Buran said shortly after the grand opening of Affinity Family Practice. “We quickly adapted to offering telemedicine visits, which has been a great way to bridge the gap for many patients, and we are still able to provide triage and medical guidance over the phone.”
In the Fall of 2021, Buran and her husband moved back to her home state of Michigan as they prepared to welcome their first child. They now have two children – a son and a daughter — and Buran is practicing in two separate urgent care facilities in rural Marquette County, which is located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Meanwhile, Affinity Family Practice continues to serve its community in Wyoming.
“It makes me happy and proud to have been part of the planning and opening of the practice, and that it continues to be an integral part of the healthcare network of the Cheyenne community,” Buran said. “Although it was a change to go from a clinic owner to a staff member, I have been able utilize my past experience as an owner to bring new ideas and offer insight to my current practice sites.”
The Oath in Action: When Jaime Westlund, DNP (Class 37), APRN, FNP-C (Class 156), moved with her family from her home state of Idaho to Hawaii in August 2019, she did so with the intent to serve the community, staying true to the history and mission of FNU. Little did she know at that time how quickly her commitment to the community would be tested.
She was working as a nurse practitioner in the general surgery department at Ali’i Health Center in Kailua Kona during the COVID pandemic. Her typical week before the pandemic involved seeing patients in clinic on some days and scrubbing in for surgeries at the hospital on others. The pandemic brought on additional responsibilities and priorities. She began creating posters for the community, informing them about the pandemic and how to take precautions. She also screened patients for the virus and utilized telehealth when possible.
In Hawaii, supplies are frequently in high demand, and they were even more so during the pandemic.
“We live on an island, so it is truly rural health care at its finest,” Westlund said in 2020. “There are gaps and shortages everywhere,” Westlund said. “Unfortunately, that is a typical day for us here.”
Despite the risks and challenges, Westlund upheld her oath to care for those in her community throughout the pandemic and continues to do so today at Aloha Kona Primary & Urgent Care.
“As the department chair in cardiology, I have continued to answer the call for healthcare in our community, although the landscape has shifted significantly since the pandemic,” she said. “My focus has been on enhancing access to quality healthcare at our rural clinic on the Big Island, where the need is particularly pronounced. Over the past years, I have worked tirelessly to implement 18 new programs within the cardiology department, each designed to address specific needs and improve patient outcomes. This journey has been challenging yet rewarding, as it reflects my commitment to serving our community and ensuring that everyone has access to the care they deserve.”
“Working in rural healthcare requires a unique blend of passion and resourcefulness,” Westlund continued. “It takes a special kind of person to thrive in this environment, where thinking outside the box is often necessary to overcome the limitations of available resources. I am dedicated to providing the very best care possible to my patients, and I take immense pride in my work. My love for the community drives me to strive every day to enhance the health and well-being of those I serve, making sure that they feel valued and supported in their healthcare journey. Together with my team, I am excited about the progress we are making and remain committed to fostering a healthier future for all in our community.”
We want to celebrate our anniversary by capturing and sharing the countless stories that make up our history. Whatever your connection to FNU, we are incredibly grateful to you and want to hear your Frontier story.
>> Share Your Story
>> Read More from “A Century of Stories”
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).