One Frontier Nursing University (FNU) nurse-midwifery graduate received worldwide attention this past month after leaving mid-hair appointment to attend a birth. Did we mention her highlight foils were still in-tact? Carrie Lee-Hall, a certified nurse-midwife, was a couple miles away from the hospital at the hair salon when she received word that her patient was ready to deliver. Without wasting a moment, she took off to the hospital where the baby arrived less than 20 minutes later.
“First time for everything!” Hall posted on Facebook with a photo of her holding the baby. “Thought I’d share. I was at the salon and nature called!”
We weren’t surprised when the image quickly went viral after sharing the photo on our FNU Facebook page. Domestic and international news outlets picked up the story, causing thousands of people to be both enthralled and amused by Carrie’s quick response that caused her to deliver a baby with foiled hair.
While the scenario gave us a chuckle, the FNU community is also proud to have alumni like Carrie who are so dedicated to their patient’s care.
“Many people on social media joked that I should have taken out the foils before I left the salon for the sake of not harming my hair, but when I got that phone call nothing was more important than getting to my patient,” said Carrie. “My patients are my first priority and there is nowhere I’d rather be than helping them safely bring new life into the world.”
For Hall, a fourth-generation midwife, caring for mothers and babies is second-hand nature. With a focus on serving rural areas, Carrie became the first Certified Nurse-Midwife in many years to practice in Hazard, Ky. In addition to a master’s degree in nurse-midwifery, Carrie returned to FNU to obtain both a Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner certification and a Family Nurse Practitioner certification so that she can treat families as a whole. She is also a sexual assault nurse examiner.
As Kitty Ernst, FNU Mary Breckinridge Chair of Midwifery, once said, “The ‘heart’ of midwifery is really synonymous with ‘mothering’ – mothering with unconditional love.”
Thank you, Carrie, for displaying unwavering dedication and love to your patients – even when it means cutting out early on a hair appointment.
And for the record, we think your hair turned out great, too.
Related Content: Alumni Spotlight: Carrie Lee-Hall MSN, WHNP, FNP, SANE, CNM
Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is excited
United States Army, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) student Stefanie Schwarz enjoys serving active duty military members and their families. She is also currently pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing degree and is projected to graduate as a certified nurse-midwife in 2018 (Class 145). 
students around the world a chance to receive a quality education. Alumni Adrian Medina, MSN, RN took full advantage of this opportunity – earning his degree while living and working in Guam!
community in Western New York (2000-2003) , Anna Carey decided to explore other opportunities. While teaching she had become interested in her students’ experiences outside of school that were affecting their experiences in the classroom. Through an organization that helps young people find unique volunteer opportunities, she heard about Frontier Nursing Service’s Courier Program. Anna thought it would be a great way to experience the many facets of rural life.
For many students at Frontier Nursing University (FNU), clinicals are one of the most stressful but rewarding times during their education journey. Bridgett Lyall, a FNU clinical credentialing coordinator, works hard to simplify the clinical experience. She and her team make sure all sites, preceptors and students have turned in the appropriate paperwork in order for students to complete their clinical practicum.
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).