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In honor of her nearly two decades of service on faculty at Frontier Nursing University (FNU), Victoria Burslem, MSN, CNM, CNE (cl), FACNM, was named a recipient of FNU’s Lifetime Service Award. The award was presented at the FNU Alumni Hall of Fame and Service Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 25, at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky.

The Lifetime Service Award recognizes an individual or organization providing long-standing support and commitment to the mission and work of Frontier Nursing University.

Burslem holds an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and attended graduate school at the University of Illinois Chicago. She worked at The Birth Center in Wilmington, Delaware, for several years until she was invited to become an instructor at Frontier in 1989.

Burslem went on to be an instructor in the Frontier Community-Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program (CNEP) for seven years before returning to her own full-scope clinical practice. She served in full-scope midwifery practice for over 35 years.

She returned to the FNU faculty in 2015. She currently serves on Frontier’s Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning faculty team and is Co-Coordinator for the Labor Skills Workshop. She is also Co-Chair of FNU’s Admissions Committee.

Burslem is a Fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and was the 2013 recipient of ACNM’s Dorothea M. Lang Pioneer Award. She is also a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

“Receiving this recognition and honor of an award from colleagues, those who know you well and have served alongside you in the trenches through the years, is the highest professional honor one can receive,” Burslem said of the FNU Lifetime Service Award. “I receive this Lifetime Service Award humbly, for it truly does take a village, and with gratitude for the gift that the Frontier community has always been to me professionally and personally. I do not take lightly the privilege I have been given to educate and impart to the next generation of nurse-midwives and nurse-practitioners the mission, principles, and practices that Frontier holds dear.”

In honor of her commitment to providing healthcare to those who are uninsured and underinsured, Dr. Torica Fuller, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FNP-C, WHNP-BC, CDP, CGRN, CPN, NRCME, was named a recipient of the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Distinguished Service to Society Award. The award was presented at the FNU Alumni Hall of Fame and Service Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 25, at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky.

The Distinguished Service to Society award is given annually in recognition of a Frontier Nursing University graduate who gives above and beyond to provide exceptional service in his or her community.

Dr. Fuller was born in Fremont, North Carolina, and now practices in North Carolina as a family nurse practitioner and a women’s healthcare nurse practitioner. She works primarily in public health, caring for patients across the lifespan. Her clinical focus includes women’s health, child health, preventive care, communicable disease, epidemiology and patient education. She is also a Carolina Hepatitis Academic Mentorship Program (CHAMP) provider and is the sole provider in her clinic to provide Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment.

Dr. Fuller earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from East Carolina University (ECU), her Master’s and FNP Post-Masters certification from Indiana Wesleyan University, and her DNP from ECU. She completed her Post-Graduate Women’s Health Care Certificate at FNU in 2023. Dr. Fuller joined FNU faculty in April 2023.

She balances her time between clinical practice and teaching to stay current and bring real-world experience into the classroom. She serves as Clinical Transition Coordinator and Assistant Professor at FNU.

“Being both a provider and an educator allows me to keep my work meaningful and impactful every day,” Dr. Fuller said. “I’m committed to lifelong learning and helping others find their path in this incredibly rewarding profession.”

In 2025, Dr. Fuller was selected by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) to participate in the organization’s 2025 Diversity Leadership Institute.

In honor of their remarkable service to community, Dr. Samantha Paradis, DNP, MPH, FNP-C, CARN-AP, was named a recipient of the Frontier Nursing University (FNU) Distinguished Service to Society Award. The award was presented at the FNU Alumni Hall of Fame and Service Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 25, at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky.

The Distinguished Service to Society award recognizes a graduate who goes above and beyond to provide exceptional service to their community.

Originally from Aroostook County, Maine, Dr. Paradis completed their DNP at FNU in 2024, but their experience in healthcare spans the last 20 years. During that time, Dr. Paradis has provided direct care to individuals living with opioid use disorder, military veterans with dementia, LGBTQIA+ adults in rural areas, and seasonal farm workers.

“Nurturing connections with community organizations that amplify the voices of those on the margins has been at the center of my life work,” Dr. Paradis said. “In parallel to my healthcare career, I have always maintained deep community connections, in college even being voted most likely to be volunteering.”
Dr. Paradis’ commitment to public service has led them to help establish the first public library in their hometown; serve as the first queer and youngest mayor of Belfast, Maine; become a therapeutic foster parent; and to help support the passage of Maine’s robust family medical leave in 2023.

“From caregiving for my own children and family to caring for my patients, I have been most enriched by my time spent in community with other people,” Dr. Paradis said. “Sometimes, being a witness to the challenges life presents can be the biggest gift you can give someone.”

In honor of his more than two decades of service and leadership to Frontier Nursing University (FNU), Dr. Michael Carter was named a recipient of FNU’s Lifetime Service Award. The award was presented at the FNU Alumni Hall of Fame and Service Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 25, at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky.

The Lifetime Service Award recognizes an individual or organization providing long-standing support and commitment to the mission and work of Frontier Nursing University.

Dr. Carter, who passed away in June of 2025, served as Chair of the Frontier Nursing University Board of Directors from 2009 to April 2025. Dr. Carter’s long history with Frontier Nursing University dates to 2003 when he joined what was then the Frontier Nursing Service Board of Governors. Dr. Carter’s leadership was marked by his determination, his entrepreneurial spirit, and his extraordinary passion.

“Michael was respected for his excellence as a practitioner, educator, and leader,” FNU President Dr. Brooke A. Flinders said. “He was loved for his kindness, generosity, grace, and beloved storytelling ability. Dr. Carter will be terribly missed, but always fondly remembered.”

Dr. Carter grew up on a farm in Missouri and went on to attend the University of Arkansas College of Nursing, earning his Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1969 and his Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in 1973. He served in the United States Army Nurse Corp from 1968-71 during the Vietnam War. He earned his doctorate in 1979 from the Boston University School of Nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Tennessee in 2009. He completed a Fellowship in Primary Care Health Policy with the United States Public Health Service.

Dr. Carter practiced as a family and geriatric nurse practitioner and served as the Dean of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing from 1982-2000. He held many teaching positions including serving as an adjunct professor at the Curtin University School of Nursing and Midwifery in Perth, Australia. He also worked to develop nurse practitioner education in Australia. In recognition of his expertise and dedication to nursing in Australia, he was made a Fellow of the Australian College of Nurse Practitioners.

Dr. Carter’s extensive list of awards and honors include but are not limited to: Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing in 1982; Outstanding Alumnus from the University of Tennessee College of Nursing in 2000; Excellence in Teaching Award, University of Tennessee Health Science Center Student Government Association in 2005; Lifetime Achievement Award, National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties in 2015; the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019. Shortly before his passing, Frontier Nursing University selected Dr. Carter as the 2025 recipient of its Lifetime Service Award in recognition of his unyielding support over many years.

During his more than 20 years at Frontier, Dr. Carter was instrumental in many milestone moments for the university. He was on the Board of Governors when what was then known as the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing launched the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in 2008. Notably, he was the Board Chair when the university officially changed its name to Frontier Nursing University in 2011.

In 2017, under Dr. Carter’s visionary leadership, FNU made the pivotal decision to purchase property in Versailles, Kentucky, an investment aimed at expanding student access and supporting the university’s growth. That same year, FNU began taking applications for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner MSN degree. Then, in 2022, after the completion of renovations and construction, Frontier held the ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening the Versailles campus. Most recently, Dr. Carter initiated the successful search for and transition to FNU’s second president, Dr. Brooke A. Flinders, in 2024.

Dr. Carter was a staunch supporter of FNU over the years and provided many financial contributions to support students and FNU’s campus. In 2021, Dr. Carter, his wife Dr. Sarah Carter, and their daughter Elizabeth Carter, JD, announced a $500,000 donation to further the mission of FNU. The gift furthers Dr. Carter’s commitment and lifelong work to enrich the nursing profession across the globe.

“His extraordinary leadership was exceeded only by his wisdom, kindness, and dedication to the care of others,” said FNU Board of Directors Chair Marcus Osborne. “The debt of gratitude that is owed to him is immense.”

In honor of her dedicated service to her students, Dr. Jenkins Michelle Lawhorn, DNP, CNM, RNC-OB, was named a recipient of the Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award given by Frontier Nursing University (FNU). The award was presented at the FNU Alumni Hall of Fame and Service Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 25, at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky.

The Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award honors a nurse-midwife or nurse practitioner who has supported FNU through volunteering and/or philanthropy.

Raised in Fort Mill, South Carolina, Dr. Lawhorn lives and works in North Carolina, where she has resided for over 20 years. She is a two-time graduate of Frontier, where she received both her master’s degree in nursing with an emphasis in nurse-midwifery and her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. As a board-certified nurse midwife, Dr. Lawhorn has provided full scope midwifery care in both the community and hospital setting. She holds additional certifications in inpatient obstetrics nursing and electronic fetal monitoring and provides midwifery care at the University of North Carolina Health.

At Frontier, Dr. Lawhorn shares her extensive knowledge as Regional Clinical Faculty in the Department of Midwifery and Women’s Health. She is also the 2025 Inclusive Excellence Facutly Representative to the President’s Cabinet at Frontier.

Dr. Lawhorn gives her time and training without hesitation. Her service to the community has included starting a waterbirth program at a community hospital, volunteering through Junior Achievement to discuss midwifery with high school students and speaking at local elementary schools. She was nominated for an Excellence in Teaching Award at the University of North Carolina HealthCare in 2024.

“I enjoy supporting and teaching the next generations of advanced practice nurses,” Dr. Lawhorn said. “I just show up as myself for Frontier and my community, because that is my calling.”

In honor of his remarkable service to community, Dr. Eric Lakomek was named a recipient of the Unbridled Spirit Award, given annually by Frontier Nursing University (FNU). The award was presented at the FU Alumni Hall of Fame and Service Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 25, at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky.

The Unbridled Spirit Award is given annually to a former Courier who has perpetuated the mission and spirit of Frontier in their own lives. The award recognizes dedication to serving others, ongoing stewardship of FNU, and a zest for adventure.

In 2019, during the summer between his sophomore and junior years at Wabash College in Indiana, Dr. Lakomek was selected to participate in FNU’s Courier program. The summer program immerses undergraduate students from around the country in a public health and volunteerism internship.

“That experience was transformative,” said Dr. Lakomek, who is a first-year pediatric resident at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. “It gave me firsthand exposure to the challenges rural communities face and showed me how meaningful a physician’s role can be, not only in providing medical care but also in building trust and strengthening communities.”

While at Wabash College, Dr. Lakomek founded the Red Shoe Project, which is dedicated to providing sporting equipment to children and families who cannot otherwise afford it.

Dr. Lakomek graduated magna cum laude from Wabash, majoring in psychology with minors in chemistry and global health. He then attended Marian University’s Wood College of Osteopathic Medicine, where he was inducted into Sigma Sigma Phi, the honorary osteopathic service fraternity, as well as the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

During his time at Marian, he worked with underserved populations, serving in free clinics that provided essential care to those who were otherwise without access to care.

Dr. Lakomek is trained in both inpatient and outpatient pediatrics, with exposure to general pediatrics as well as subspecialty services. He manages acute illnesses, chronic medical conditions, and preventive care needs while maintaining a strong emphasis on family-centered care.

“I am deeply committed to a career in pediatrics,” Dr. Lakomek said. “I see pediatrics not only as caring for children’s medical needs, but also as advocating for their growth, development, and overall well-being. Whether through direct patient care, community engagement, or broader policy initiatives, I hope to dedicate my career to advancing equity, amplifying the voices of children and families, and making a lasting impact in the field.”

In recognition of her remarkable career accomplishments, Dorothy “Dede” Trefts was honored as the recipient of the Unbridled Spirit Award, given by Frontier Nursing University (FNU). The award was presented at the FNU Alumni Hall of Fame and Service Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 25, at the Kentucky Castle in Versailles, Kentucky.

The Unbridled Spirit Award is given annually to a former Courier who has perpetuated the mission and spirit of Frontier in their own lives. The award recognizes dedication to serving others, ongoing stewardship of FNU, and a zest for adventure.

Trefts grew up in East Aurora, New York, and in Shaker Heights, Ohio. She spent the spring of her senior year of high school as a member of the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) Courier program. There, she assisted the FNS nurses, tended to the horses the nurses used to traverse the mountainous terrain in order to reach their patients, and helped in the office.

“As a seventeen-year-old high school student, I had never heard of an organization that was female-driven from top to bottom,” Trefts said. “What an eye-opening, motivating experience for a teenager to be able to witness the incredible power of women so dedicated to improving the healthcare of the population and the lives of its children in a remote county in Kentucky. It inspired me over the course of my career to have seen the huge impact that women in leadership positions could make in the lives of others.”

Trefts went on to attend Wellesley College in Boston, where she majored in economics and English. She was then accepted at the Harvard Business School. Inspired by her father’s career experiences in engineering and technology, she became interested in how computers could change and improve people’s lives. Later, her career came full circle as she got involved in the acquisition of new technology and services startups into IBM Global Services and was able to utilize her background in starting new ventures to help them succeed in a large company setting.

Trefts retired three years ago but continues to enjoy serving on non-profit boards and volunteering. She has served on the boards of the Chautauqua Institution, Laurel School, her church, Arts for Healing, and Gulfstream Goodwill. She has also donated her time to mentor women and guide them as they advance their careers. Equally impactful is her commitment to mentoring women, guiding and encouraging them as they advance in their own careers.

“What matters the most to me is whether I’m making a difference,” Trefts said. “I am so honored to be remembered by an organization that was so inspirational to me as a young woman about to embark on an important step in my life.