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.
Though some may see the work of a cardiovascular intensive care unit nurse and the work of a nurse-midwife as somewhat disparate, Frontier Nursing University recent graduate Liz Carr is confident that her background working in an ICU translates well to nurse-midwifery. A resident of Lexington, Ky., Carr currently works at the University of Kentucky (UK) Healthcare Albert B Chandler Hospital Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit and recently earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nurse-Midwifery from FNU.
“I chose a cardiovascular background very intentionally,” Carr said. “Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in pregnancy. I chose not to work labor and delivery as an RN, but still wanted to gain skills and knowledge I could apply as a midwife. I am so privileged to do a nursing job I love and also study something I love. While cardiovascular intensive care and midwifery are different, I am hopeful that my unique skill set will be an asset to my future patients and their communities.”
Originally from Atlanta, Carr earned her BSN from UK in 2017 and has worked at the Albert B Chandler Hospital Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit for approximately five years.
Carr has dreamed of becoming a nurse-midwife since she was 13 years old.
“In my middle school sex education class, we watched a video of an unmedicated vaginal birth. All of the other students were horrified, but I was riveted. I knew from that moment on that I wanted to be a birth worker and usher people through that powerful experience,” she said.
Throughout her time studying at FNU, Carr said she has particularly appreciated the strong sense of community among students and faculty members. This was illustrated for her when former faculty member Dr. Kendra Faucett sent her a list of all of the midwives in the area to assist in her search for preceptors.
“It was the moment that I felt like I was really in the right place with an amazing community of people who will always champion my success,” she said.
Carr worked at four clinical sites throughout her time at FNU, the last of which was with FNU alumni Paula Brandt at the recommendation of FNU clinical advisor Carisa Lipp.
“There was never anywhere else I would want to be. Frontier is the home of nurse-midwifery.”
- Liz Carr, BSN, RN, CCRN, CNM, FNU Alumni
“My rotation with Paula was not only what I needed to finish my clinical requirements, it was exactly what I needed to feel ready to go into practice,” she said. “It’s all thanks to the amazing Frontier network.”
Throughout her clinical experience at FNU, Carr said one of her proudest moments was when she was present for a patient’s first Pap smear. Using training she acquired from FNU, Carr said she was able to ease the patient’s anxiety about the procedure.
“As a student, it felt like such an important moment,” Carr said. “I had the chance to introduce someone to speculum exams in a way that was comfortable for her, and which will hopefully ensure she seeks out her routine health screenings without fear of pain. There was never anywhere else I would want to be. Frontier is the home of nurse-midwifery.”
Over the years, Carr has received several recognitions for her work in healthcare, including the University of Kentucky Healthcare Commitment to Nursing Excellence Award in 2017 and the University of Kentucky Healthcare Bronze Award for Innovation in 2020. She also is a three-time Daisy Award nominee and a 2022 participant in the Training in Abortion Care Residency.
In her free time, Carr enjoys reading, spending time with her dog, Cooper, and visiting her family in Atlanta.
Thank you, Liz, for choosing FNU to achieve your goal of earning your MSN in Nurse-Midwifery. We are proud to have had you as a student and wish you continued success in your next endeavors.
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).