Laura Manns-James
PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, FACNME
Bio
Frontier Nursing University announced that Dr. Laura Manns-James, PhD, CNM, WHNP-BC, CNE, FACNM, has been named the Interim Department Chair of Women’s Health effective November 1.
“Dr. Laura Manns-James’s selection highlights a career built on dedication to education, mentorship, and the advancement of women’s health,” said FNU Dean of Nursing Dr. Kristin Ashford. “Her journey reflects the transformative impact of Frontier Nursing University’s mission, as she now helps shape the next generation of providers with the same passion and purpose that once guided her own path. This recognition honors not only her professional excellence but also her enduring commitment to service, scholarship, and the values that define the FNU community.”
Dr. Manns-James is a two-time FNU graduate. She first earned her certified nurse-midwifery (CNM) certificate, then completed the post-master’s women’s health nurse practitioner program. She has been a faculty member at Frontier since 2004. Dr. Manns-James holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in women’s studies and cultural anthropology, and a Bachelor of Nursing from Saint Louis University’s accelerated option. In 2014, Dr. Manns-James was awarded the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ Foundation’s Fellowship for Graduate Education to support her doctoral work. In 2015, she received the March of Dimes graduate scholarship. She completed a PhD in nursing research in 2017.
“I am grateful for this opportunity to work with FNU leadership and our incredible, dedicated WHNP faculty to build on the solid foundation Frontier has laid for the WHNP program,” Dr. Manns-James said. “At a time when reproductive health care access is under increasing pressure, the full scope role of the WHNP in women’s and gender-related healthcare has never been more important. Our WHNP graduates are critical assets to their communities, providing care that uplifts individuals and families. I look forward to helping this department grow and thrive as we work together to meet this moment and Frontier’s mission.”
Before becoming a nurse-midwife, Dr. Manns-James worked in maternity nursing and in child/adolescent mental health. Upon graduating from FNU, she worked as a CNM in a full-scope role in southwestern New Mexico and later in Appalachian Kentucky at the Frontier Nursing Service.
Dr. Manns-James is an Associate Editor for the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Midwifery and Women’s Health (6th edition) text, published in January 2021, and a managing editor for the 7th edition, in press and scheduled for release in early 2026.
She is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and was honored with Frontier’s Dr. Susan Stone Faculty Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Belonging in 2024. She received an APEX Award for Publication Excellence. Additionally, she has been a two-time recipient of the Frontier Student Choice Award for Teaching Excellence (2015 and 2023) and was selected to participate in the inaugural President’s Academic Fellowship Program at Frontier in 2025.
