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.
Frontier Nursing University’s President’s Cabinet collaborates with the Board of Directors and university leadership to offer internal guidance and expertise on initiatives, policies, and operations that support FNU’s mission, vision, and culture of caring. In an effort to expand diverse perspectives within the Cabinet, FNU has added two volunteer members, one faculty and one staff member, to serve for a one-year term. Nomination and selection criteria prioritize candidates capable of offering insights currently underrepresented within the Cabinet.
This year, Dr. Torica Fuller, FNU faculty member and FNP Clinical Transition Coordinator, and Samana Upadhyaya, Enterprise Applications Manager, were chosen to bring their unique experience to the Cabinet as the designated faculty and staff representatives.
Earning her Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) Post-Graduate Certificate from FNU, Dr. Fuller transitioned from student to faculty last year, which she said has prepared her for her new position on the Cabinet.
“The transition from student to faculty has opened new windows of opportunity for me to impart the wisdom and knowledge of nursing practice to the next generation of nurse practitioner students,” she said. “Therefore, I feel that my education and experience have provided me with the necessary tools, skills, and leadership ability to make good, sound decisions on behalf of the Cabinet and the university.”
Working as a staff member with FNU for nearly a decade, Samana has extensive experience in Information Technology (IT) and in managing enterprise-level applications. In her role at FNU, she bridges gaps between those from diverse backgrounds and is dedicated to ensuring that technology serves the diverse needs of the FNU community, regardless of digital proficiency or challenges.
“I have already been involved in managing complex applications to meet the diverse needs of the FNU community,” she said. “This experience to serve on the President’s Cabinet will give me an opportunity to get more details to ensure policy initiatives and technological implementations align seamlessly.”
For both Dr. Fuller and Samana, an emphasis on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) will be a focus during their time on the Cabinet. Samana said her journey as an immigrant has prepared her for adaptation, resilience and a deep appreciation for diversity and understanding of the importance of inclusion, empathy, and representation.
“This understanding will help in my approach in policy making and cater to the needs of diverse FNU communities,” she said. “I am committed to advocating for policies that celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion in the entire Frontier community.”
Dr. Fuller said that as an advocate for DEI, she strives to provide a voice by championing the celebration of differences among individuals and fostering an environment where all perspectives are valued.
“My position on the President’s Cabinet presents an opportunity to emphasize the significance of cultivating a university community where equity and respect are not the exception but the standard for faculty, staff, and students,” she said. “I am committed to shedding light on the importance of such a culture, promoting inclusivity and understanding at every level of our institution.”
Thank you, Samana and Dr. Fuller, for your valuable insight and perspective on the President’s Cabinet and your dedication to FNU.
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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).
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