Frontier Nursing University (FNU) faculty and alumni leave a lasting impact on the healthcare community. This blog highlights just a few of the many accomplishments and acknowledgements they have received in the last several months of 2021.
Faculty Who Published Articles and Chapters:
-Megan Arbour, Ph.D., CNM, CNE, FACNM
-Anne Cockerham, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE
-Meghan Garland, MSN, CNM
-Nena Harris, Phd, FNPBC, CNM, CNE
-Nicole Lassiter, DNP, CNM, CNE
-Linda McDaniel, DNP, MSN
-Diana Jolles, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM
-Sybilla Myers, DNP, APRN, FNP-C
-Carla Bray, DNP, FNP-C
-Janelle Komorowski, DNP, CNM, CNE
-Kelsey Kent, PhD, PMHNP
For more details on the published work by our faculty members, please read our Quarterly Bulletins.
Faculty Accomplishments
Rachel Mack, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, C-FNP, CNE, Appointed to ACEN Evaluation Review Panel and ACEN Appeal Committee
FNU Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Rachel Mack, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, C-FNP, CNE, has been appointed by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) Board of Commissioners to be a member of the ACEN Evaluation Review Panel and the ACEN Appeal Committee.
The ACEN process for the evaluation of nursing programs is a comprehensive four-step process with the program self-review and Self-Study Report as the first step. The second step is the site visit conducted by peer evaluators resulting in the Site Visit Report. In the third step, an Evaluation Review Panel examines the reports written by and about the program. The final step is a review of the process and the accreditation status decision determined by the ACEN Board of Commissioners.
Eileen Thrower, Ph.D., APRN, CNM, CNE, FACNM, Inducted into Georgia Baptist College of Nursing Hall of Honor
FNU Interim Department Chair of Midwifery and Women’s Health Eileen Thrower, Ph.D., APRN, CNM, CNE, FACNM, was recently inducted into the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing Hall of Honor.
Her induction was based on her accomplishments in nursing research. Induction into the Georgia Baptist College of Nursing Hall of Honor recognizes both alumni and friends (non-alumni) of the College for their accomplishments in one of the following areas: clinical nursing practice, community health service, excellence in mentoring, health care administration, leadership in health policy/ethics/law, nursing education, entrepreneurial leadership, excellence in student leadership development, excellence in volunteer leadership, leadership in clinical development and nursing research.
Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP, Receives Multiple Honors
Dr. Vicky Stone-Gale, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, FAANP has received the 2022 American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Advocate State Award for Excellence.
The Advocate State Award for Excellence is given to an individual in each state who has made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and recognition of nurse practitioners. The award is given annually to a dedicated advocate in each state who has made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and recognition of nurse practitioners.
In addition to her work with Frontier, Dr. Stone-Gale is the Vice President of the Florida Nurse Practitioner Network. She will be honored for her achievement during the 2022 AANP National Conference in Orlando, June 21-26, 2022.
Dr. Stone-Gale has also been selected as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice (NAP) in Nursing. Distinguished Fellows are U.S. citizens who have an exemplary career of ten years or more and who have made significant contributions to interprofessional healthcare. The induction ceremony will be held in San Diego on March 3rd, 2022.
Dean of Nursing Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN, Published in ACEN’s Bridges
An article written by FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Joan Slager, CNM, DNP, FACNM, FAAN, was published in Bridges, the quarterly newsletter of the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN). Dr. Slager’s article, “Innovative Faculty Adjust to Students’ Needs During the Crisis” examined the quick actions taken by FNU faculty during the pandemic.
Diana Jolles, Ph.D., CNM, Participates in Best Hospitals for Maternity Assessment
U.S. News & World Report recently introduced its assessment of the “Best Hospitals for Maternity.” The stated goal of the assessment was “to inform patients and families who are expecting a baby and help them, in consultation with a healthcare professional, make choices about where to receive care for an uncomplicated pregnancy.” Nine experts in maternal and perinatal quality measurement, including Diana Jolles, Ph.D., CNM, were asked for their input on the proposed methodology.
FNU Faculty, Alumni and Students Participated in the 2021 AABC Birth Institute: “Birth Centers – Challenges, Resilience, and Growth”
Kelsey Kent, Ph.D., PMHNP, Selected as a Board of Trust member for the Tennessee Nurses Foundation
Mickey Gillmor, MN, CNM, Received the FNU Daisy Award for Extraordinary Nursing Faculty and the Outstanding Peer Reviewer Award from the Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health
Angela Mitchell, DNP, FNP-BC, Presented with Dr. Sharon Hunsucker at 2021 NLN Education Summit: Use of Online Simulation to Guide Transition to Clinical
Alumni Highlights
Barbara Bennett-Wolcott, DNP, CNM, Presents at ACNM Webinar
Barbara Bennett-Wolcott, DNP, CNM, Class 25, presented “Implementing Universal Intimate Partner Violence Screening Utilizing a Patient-Centered, Shared Decision-Making Approach” during a live webinar held by the American College of Nurse-Midwives in October. She currently is faculty at Washington State University’s College of Nursing.
Minyon Outlaw, DNP, CNM, Presents at DNP Conference
Minyon Outlaw, DNP, CNM, Class 33, was accepted for a podium presentation at the annual National Doctors of Nursing Practice Conference in Chicago earlier this year. Her presentation was entitled, “Safely Reducing Primary Cesarean Section Utilizing the PROVIDE Toolbox in a Faith-Based Hospital.”
Kate Scott, DNP, CNM, Presents at Nebraska Nurses Association Annual Convention
Kate Scott, DNP, CNM, Class 33, was accepted for a poster presentation at the Nebraska Nurses Association annual conference. She presented her DNP project, “Implementing Effective Perinatal Depression Screening and Treatment in an Academic Outpatient Setting.”
We are so proud of all of the accomplishments met by the FNU community! Congratulations to all, and continue working hard to make a change. Please contact FNUnews@frontier.edu with any accomplishments you have to share!
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).