Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is proud to announce our faculty and staff winners of the Winter term 2021 Circle of Caring Award! This year’s faculty winner is Jan Engstrom, and for the first time, there are two staff winners this quarter, Susan Morgan & Katie Moses, who are both admissions officers.
Winter 2020 Circle of caring winners
The Circle of Caring Award is given to recognize FNU faculty and staff members who go above and beyond in upholding our mission and contributing to our Culture of Caring.
Nominations for this award were submitted anonymously by faculty and staff. A committee then voted on each nomination based on the following Culture of Caring characteristics: professionalism, mutual support, respect, positive communication, and inclusivity.
Dr. Engstrom was nominated by three different sources this quarter. Here is what they had to say about why she deserved to be the winter Circle of Caring faculty winner:
Nomination #1 – “This past term, Dr. Engstrom went above and beyond to assist the PC702 faculty/team when a colleague was out sick. She picked up several extra BBBs while continuing her diligent student assistance on our Discussion Q&A board. Dr. Engstrom is an unbelievable tutor and her flexibility to meet with students is unmatched. She is available on nights and weekends, hosting group and one-on-one sessions. Dr.Engstrom took on an extraordinary amount of work–and it should and needs to be acknowledged and celebrated. We are so lucky to have her as a colleague, friend, and example of excellence to our students. Additionally, Dr. Engstrom recently sent each of the faculty on our team a unique book that was chosen based on individual interests. It meant a lot to me and the others to feel seen and heard by a fellow team member.”
Nomination #2 – “In the middle of the Winter 2021 term, one of our team members became ill and missed over three weeks of work. Dr. Engstrom offered to take over the two modules assigned to that faculty member. Jan taught the BBBs, reviewed the modules, and made sure the assignments were correct before they opened. The most amazing thing about this is that Dr. Engstrom is half-time in the course and tutors for 10 hours a week. On top of everything else she does, she took on a full-time faculty’s work for two modules. Taking on this work was a truly excellent show of professionalism and caring for the team and students. She went above and beyond. She truly exemplified the Culture of Caring at FNU.”
Nomination #3 – Dr. Engstrom goes above and beyond for students. Students consistently praise Dr. Engstrom for her passion for her work, taking the time to meet with them, her communication style, and explaining course material effectively. She receives positive praise term after term.
Upon hearing of her award, Dr. Engstrom responded, “I am deeply honored by this award. We are living at a time when we are facing the greatest health crisis in a century and undergoing sweeping social change. It is more important than ever to practice the principles in the Culture of Caring: respect, inclusivity, positive communication, mutual support, and professionalism. The words in Frontier Nursing University’s Culture of Caring are words to live by and can help us move peacefully and productivity through this challenging time.”
Although Frontier historically only chooses one individual in each category per quarter, both Susan Morgan & Katie Moses stepped up to the plate and exemplified what a Culture of Caring means.
Here is what their nominator had to say about their example:
“Yesterday, I went to campus to receive my second covid shot. As I waited in line, I witnessed the most amazing kindness and service from my two coworkers, Susan Morgan & Katie Moses. After receiving their first shots, they buzzed around the long, long line of eager people waiting their turn outside. They chatted with many of these people but also brought wheelchairs and folding chairs for some of the older adults waiting outside. In one particular instance, they brought an elderly woman, “Miss Millie,” a wheelchair, wheeled her in to receive her shot and waited with her afterward. Miss Millie was quite frail and could not have navigated the long line and vaccine process without the additional help. Additionally, Miss Millie’s ride could not be located, so Morgan and Moses used their cell phones to call and try to locate her driver. On my way out, I watched them help Miss Millie into Susan’s car to drive the woman home. I do not believe Morgan and Moses were the “official FNU volunteers” on duty that day, yet, they were so kind and generous in helping others. They were wearing their blue polos and name badges and provided the perfect picture of an FNU employee. These two brought 110% FNU spirit to the vaccine clinic, and I loved witnessing such a beautiful act of kindness! I know Miss Millie was thankful to have them there supporting her, too.”
Here is what Morgan and Moses said after hearing of their award:
Morgan- “During the event in question, we did not think anyone saw us. We only saw an individual in need. I try to live by the words Kindness is free and most always accepted. We saw an individual in need, and no one was there to help her. It was my honor to meet her and to spend that time with her. She was a very wise lady with a kind heart. I did not look for any recognition and only want to be kind to others to make my little corner of the world a better place.”
Moses- “Firstly, I am always pleasantly surprised to be considered for this award whenever I am nominated, so to be chosen is an honor. Secondly, I’d like to think that I am a person who tries to do what is right for someone in need, especially when it seems more of a necessity or obligation than just on a whim. I’m glad to be a part of a team that encourages kindness and recognizes those who show it to each other in this day and age when it is needed most.”
Thank you to Jan, Susan and Katie for being an excellent example of FNU’s Culture of Caring! We love seeing all of the positive work people in the FNU community are doing every day! Click here to submit a nomination for the summer term Circle of Caring awards.
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).