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 that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.
When Dr. Kerri Schuiling graduated from
nursing school at Northern Michigan University (NMU), she was quickly given an opportunity to become a nurse practitioner. As only the third nurse practitioner in the state of Michigan, Kerri enjoyed her work but found herself longing to become a nurse-midwife so she could be more involved with mothers and babies.
In 1989, Kerri caught word of the formation of the first Community-based Nurse-midwifery Education Program (CNEP), which was a collaborative effort of the Maternity Centers Association, the American Association of Birth centers, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing and Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing.
She immediately picked up the phone to inquire about the program and was met with the voice of nurse-midwifery pioneer Kitty Ernst (who Kerri mistakenly thought was the secretary). Of course, Kitty was extremely helpful and encouraged Kerri to come to Frontier! Just a short time later, Kerri found herself a part of the very first CNEP class, learning under some of today’s most well-known nurse-midwifery educators. According to Kerri, she still keeps in touch with many of the women from CNEP 1.
Kerri credits FNU for teaching her leadership skills that have been vital to her career success.
“FNU gives its graduates so many gifts that really aren’t recognized until reflecting on it later in life,” said Kerri.
After completing her degree, Kerri was asked to help redesign a Frontier module and eventually ended up teaching a women’s health course and physiology. During this time she met Francis Likis, who also taught at Frontier. The two ultimately ended up co-editing the book Women’s Gynecologic Health, which received the ACNM Book of the Year Award and is now in its third edition.
Today, Kerri currently serves as provost and vice president, academic affairs at NMU in Marquette, Michigan. She has also served as dean of NMU’s College of Health Sciences and Professional Studies. Additionally, Kerri has held positions as the dean of Oakland University’s School of Nursing and associate dean and director of NMU’s School of Nursing. She served FNU for seven years as education director and curriculum coordinator providing the basis for the excellent curriculum delivered by FNU today.
Kerri holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan, master’s degree from Wayne State University and baccalaureate degree from Northern Michigan University (NMU). And of course, her midwifery certificate through FNU.
Kerri recently was asked to join the FNU board.
“I attended my first on-campus board meeting last fall and was so excited to hear about everything going on at FNU,” said Kerri. “Nursing education doesn’t always allow for creativity, but I love that at Frontier creativity, innovation and transformation are all encouraged. It makes FNU special.”
Kerri was also bestowed FNU’s 2015 Distinguished Service to Society award, which recognizes an alumnus who goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service in his or her community.
Other awards Kerri has received over the years include her induction as a fellow in the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the ACNM’S Kitty Ernst award, which is given in recognition for innovative, creative endeavors in midwifery and women’s health care.
Kerri’s contribution to advanced nursing and midwifery education has been outstanding to say the least. Thank you for your service to the FNU community, Dr. Schuiling!
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).