At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature members of our FNU community who are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.
When Fawn Workman of Lynchburg, Virginia, decided to advance her career in nursing by pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing in a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program, she chose Frontier Nursing University (FNU) and earned her MSN in 2014. Four years later, she returned to FNU to add a Post-Graduate Certificate (PGC) as a Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP).
Workman has over two decades of experience in nursing care to patients and families of all ages and stages. Before attending FNU, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Nursing from Liberty University in Lynchburg, and an Associate’s in Nursing from College of the Albemarle in Elizabeth City, NC.
Since 2016, Workman has owned an LLC, now named Lifesong Health, while she worked for other organizations (including a children’s hospital and a community mental health center.)
“Over time, it became clear that my focus needed to be on providing ethical care in a way that aligned with my values and beliefs- and for me, that meant focusing on building Lifesong Health”.
Through Lifesong Health, Workman provides one-on-one care for her patients with psychiatric/ mental health needs.
“By offering a personalized practice experience, we focus on holistic wellness — mental and physical care,” she said. At Lifesong Health, the majority of Workman’s patients are working adults and college students who are away from their hometown (many of whom have spent time outside of the U.S. in their youth.)
“I thought I would be mostly doing telehealth, but many of my local patients love being back in an office and seeing a provider in-person. I enjoy it, too,” Workman said. “My accessibility makes it possible for them to be seen without long waits, and flexible enough to work around their schedules.” Via telehealth, she sees patients all across Virginia “from DC suburbs to military communities in Norfolk to rural mountainous southwest VA,” and enjoys the variety of communities she serves.
A lifelong learner, she is continuing additional education in psychiatry (including integrative approaches) and obesity treatment. In addition to providing mental health services, Workman has recently begun anti-obesity treatment/ medical weight loss support services through Lifesong Health.
"I chose to earn my FNP because I wanted to treat adults and children. I later went back for my PMHNP because I feel it’s an area close to my heart and another way I can make an impact."
- Fawn Workman, FNP, PMHNP, FNU Alumni
“I bring my experience as someone who personally knows the struggles of the chronic disease of obesity, and my patients seem to appreciate my ability to relate and feel heard,” she said.
Outside of her work in private practice, Workman also sees patients via telehealth for a free clinic for uninsured individuals of very low income.
“This is a vital need for underserved individuals, and I wish I could clone myself as there is so much to be done,” she said. “Even though I’m only contracted for a small amount of hours per month at a reduced fee, I often spend more pro bono to give back to the clinic and patients.It feels really good to give back.”
Workman said as she has advanced through her career, her experience at FNU has provided her with the knowledge to succeed. She is also thankful for the lifelong friendships and connections at Frontier.
“Frontier seemed to have a heartbeat,” she said. “I chose to earn my FNP because I wanted to treat adults and children. I later went back for my PMHNP because I feel it’s an area close to my heart and another way I can make an impact.”
Workman has contributed to a few published nursing books (edited by another FNU alumna.)
Outside of her work in healthcare, Workman enjoys gardening, painting and spending time with her grandson.
Thank you, Fawn, for exhibiting the unique knowledge and passion of FNU graduates by serving patients in your community and underserved individuals in Virginia.
Learn more about advanced nursing degrees and specialties at Frontier Nursing University.
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).