Frontier Nursing University (FNU) held its 12th annual Diversity Impact Conference on September 27-29. The event, which was free for all attendees, was held virtually for the third consecutive year. The conference’s theme was “Engaging Diverse Voices in Sustained Dialogue to Build Community Trust.”
The conference featured an impressive group of speakers and presenters from across the country. The opening day keynote address, “Social Justice in Nursing Education,” was given by Boston University Associate Professor of General Internal Medicine and Director of Faculty Development Angelique Harris, Ph.D., MA. The day two keynote address, “Community Historical Trauma,” was delivered by University of Texas School of Nursing Professor John Lowe, Ph.D., FAAN. Among the many other presentations were two by Clinical Professor at Duke University’s School of Nursing, Brigit Carter, Ph.D., MSN, RN, CCRN, FAAN, and Assistant Clinical Professor at Duke University’s School of Nursing Jacqui McMillian-Bohler, Ph.D., CNM. Together, they presented “Personal Triggers” and “Microaggressions.” FNU alumni Caitlin Hainley, DNP, ARNP-CNM, IBCLC, and Emily Zambrano-Andrews, DNP, ARNP-CNM, presented “Building Community: Advancing Accessibility and Affordability in the Midwifery Model,” based on their experience as co-founders of the Des Moines Midwife Collective. FNU President Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM, gave a presentation and led a discussion about gun violence in the United States.
One of the conference’s many highlights was a screening of the acclaimed documentary “Apart”. The film features formerly incarcerated mothers jailed for drug-related charges who overcome alienation and a society that labels them as “felons” to readjust to life with their families. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with three of the women featured in the documentary.
“What conference has a screening of a documentary and then has a session with the stars of the documentary?” Dr. Alexander-Delpech said. “I was floored by those women, allowing us to take what they were telling us into our classrooms and our professions.”
“I am proud that FNU makes this a signature event,” Dr. Alexander-Delpech continued. “I am so proud that I am a member of a community that takes this so seriously that this is the type of event they would sponsor. I know I’m being prejudiced – nevertheless, we had a lineup of speakers that speaks volumes of how important diversity is to us. It tells us that we put value into diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s not just lip service. It is what we live, it is part of our fabric. I’m so proud to be interwoven into that fabric.”
“I always learn something at the Diversity Impact Conference,” FNU Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Rachel Risner, Ph.D., DNP, APRN, C-FNP, CNE, said. “I learned something from every one of our speakers. It was just such an important time for me to disconnect from all my other meetings and chats and work and just be in the moment and to listen to what everybody had to say and to have takeaways and to be able to be reflective. All the speakers were really great. I can’t wait to see how much it changes and grows every year.”
Dr. Alexander-Delpech believes that the Diversity Impact Conference has the potential to become even more prominent in the years ahead.
“I want to see this as the signature online conference,” she said. “I want to take it beyond the university. I want to go beyond our walls because we can. We just need to push the envelope further. That’s my goal for next year, to bring outside people into the conference.”
To learn more about FNU’s DEI initiatives, visit our website.
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 that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality health care to underserved and rural populations.
“I knew that Frontier had the educational philosophy to support me to be successful in all three of my degrees…and its philosophy of education and service has continued to shape my work.”
“The work I want to focus on is our community response to migration in the Borderlands,” she said. Kiser has helped to create binational, service-learning opportunities where students can work together in interprofessional teams to address health issues specific to the border.
“We need to raise these next generations of practitioners to love and grow their practice so that we can continue to listen to women and provide the care all women deserve.”
“ I chose to study at FNU because the university has a reputation of gold…As a CNM, I am able to provide quality, safe care to those I serve.”
“As a CNM, I am able to provide quality, safe care to those I serve,” she said.
Ohio State Chief Innovation Officer Tim Raderstorf, DNP, RN, to Give Keynote Address
“Commencement 2022 will, of course, celebrate our most recent graduates, but we also want to honor those who graduated in the past few years and did not have this opportunity,” FNU President Dr. Susan Stone, CNM, DNSc, FAAN, FACNM, said. “It is so special for our graduates to celebrate their accomplishments and share the joyous moment with their family and friends who played such an important role in their journeys. We are so proud of all of our graduates and are thrilled to be able to celebrate their significant achievements with them.”
Dr. Raderstorf, a nurse, teacher, and entrepreneur who serves as the Chief Innovation Officer at the Ohio State University College of Nursing, co-authored the book Evidence-based Leadership, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship in Nursing and Healthcare, with Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk, Ph.D., APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN. As the first nurse to hold the Chief Innovation Officer title in academia, he takes pride in educating others on the nurse’s role as an innovator. Dr. Raderstorf is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Practice in the Masters of Healthcare Innovation program at Ohio State and is the founder of the 