The Frontier Nursing University (FNU) community is proud to once again celebrate and sponsor the annual Virtual International Day of the Midwife (VIDM). VIDM is a 24-hour free online conference that will take place Tuesday, May 4, and Wednesday, May 5, 2021. The event is intended for nurse-midwives and anyone interested in childbirth irrespective of international geographic borders.
This year’s conference will be exceptionally informative with over 40 speakers presenting – a record for the event. Event speakers will be streaming from 23 countries, with presentations offered in both English and Spanish. The majority of topics will revolve around this year’s conference theme, Birth Equity for All.
The celebration will kick off Tuesday, May 4, with a pre-session event featuring World Health Organization (WHO) Chief Nurse and Midwife Elizabeth Iro and WHO Midwifery Advisor Fran McConville, discussing “The State of the World’s Midwifery”. FNU has been highlighting these heroes over the past year by profiling faculty and students who have worked to help patients amidst COVID-19. These stories can be found in the university’s frontline blog.
FNU’s Jane F. Houston, DNP, CNM, MSN, FACNM, will continue to serve as master facilitator of this year’s event. Dr. Houston has served on this committee for many years and has previously participated as a speaker and facilitator. This year’s keynote speakers will include Soo Downe, Kaveri Mayra, and Sandra Oyarzo Torres. The full schedule of events can be found here.
VIDM is an excellent learning opportunity to hear from some of the brightest minds in midwifery. Students, faculty, alumni and the public are invited to tune in for free. To join the meetings log on to www.vidm.org for directions. To learn more about the history of VIDM and the visionary process of building an international online conference, read this article by FNU DNP program director, Jane Houston DNP CNM FACNM.
2020-2021: Year of the Nurse and the Midwife
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is proud to support and join the World Health Organization’s international campaign designating 2020 and 2021 as the “Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.” In recognizing the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, FNU joins the efforts to raise awareness of healthcare shortages in the U.S. and abroad; demonstrate the need for more nurses and nurse-midwives; educate the public of the value of nurses and nurse-midwives in their communities and advocate for access to quality healthcare for every individual.
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).