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FNU Alumni Spotlight Junise Belizaire: Providing In-Home Care to Vulnerable Floridians

October 11, 2021 By Frontier Nursing University

Frontier Nursing University (FNU) graduate Junise Belizaire, FNP is working to change the way people think about healthcare access in Wesley Chapel, Fla. Belizaire has made it her mission to bring quality healthcare to an underserved population.

After working as a nurse for several years, Belizaire knew that she wanted to do more within the healthcare field. She enrolled in FNU’s Family Nurse Practitioner program and went on to earn her Master of Science in Nursing from FNU.

“I chose Frontier because their model encompasses everything that I believe in: family, community, and a passion for the underserved,” Belizaire said. “And, when you attend Frontier, you quickly see that the school is so much more than a well-written mission statement; the Frontier community is truly united in their passion for improving the healthcare field. The people of FNU ignited a fire in me that helped to fuel my career and lead me to where I am today.”

Upon graduation, Belizaire found herself in many jobs as a nurse practitioner. While she loved caring for patients, she found herself frustrated with the healthcare system and longed for a more personal approach to patient care.

“I became a nurse practitioner so I could make a greater difference in my patients’ lives and a greater impact in the healthcare system. I wanted to be a part of the solution by breaking down health care disparities and reaching more individuals. In more traditional roles, I felt like I wasn’t able to meet my full potential as a provider,” Belizaire said.

With that in mind, Belizaire launched Bay Area Mobile Clinic, a house call practice. Through this new practice, Belizaire uses her mobile clinic to provide services to individuals, families, and underinsured employees to bring cost-efficient healthcare to everyone.

“Whether a person is homebound, has transportation difficulties, or simply needs convenience, everyone deserves quality, affordable care,” Belizaire said.

Belizaire is attending to patients who often went without care before her services arrived.

“Many of my patients have not seen a provider in years,” Belizaire said. “My hope is that by bringing care to these individuals, I can decrease the number of healthcare disparities within my community.”

Belizaire said that opening the practice has been the highlight of her professional career because, through this clinic, she can bring compassion and caring to patients without the rush and disconnect of more traditional medical settings.

Frontier educates its students with the primary goal of assuring that they are well prepared to serve rural and underserved populations. The need is great and the challenges are many as the U.S. continues to face healthcare crises, disparities, and provider shortages. Women of color die from pregnancy-related illness at three times the rate of white women, mental health issues plague our country, and suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control. In addition, more than 130 people die each day from opioid-related illnesses.

“We must create a diverse healthcare workforce, a workforce that can competently serve persons and families from many different cultures that are representative of our United States,” said Dr. Susan Stone, FNU president.

Frontier encourages students to be leaders and entrepreneurs, just like Belizaire.

Thank you, Junise, for your dedication to the Bay Area, your commitment to the Frontier mission, and the hope you are bringing to your community. We are proud to have you as a member of the FNU community!

If you are interested in reading more stories about the fantastic work of FNU alumni members, visit the FNU Alumni stories page.

Alumni Spotlight: Kari Reimann Becomes First Nurse-Midwife in Area Providing Care for Planned Hospital Births with 24/7 CNM Coverage

August 31, 2021 By Frontier Nursing University

Since she was young, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumnus Kari Reimann, CNM, has always been fascinated with the science of conception, pregnancy, and birth. Now, she is using that passion to fill a significant need in the St. Louis, Mo., birthing community.

While the area has many options for home births and birth center births with a certified nurse-midwife (CNM), few options are available for women seeking an in-hospital delivery with a CNM. Reimann is looking to change that, as the first nurse-midwife in the area providing care for planned hospital births with 24/7 CNM coverage.

In June 2021, Reimann became a member of the BJC Medical Group, a well-established, multi-specialty provider group with over 100 locations in greater St. Louis, mid-Missouri, and Southern Illinois. Reimann’s practice is located in a county just south of St. Louis that is currently underserved by medical professionals, particularly those providing OB services. She has a second office in Festus, a rural town 40 minutes south of St. Louis. Through her work, Reimann is helping fulfill part of FNU’s mission to “prepare competent, entrepreneurial, ethical, and compassionate leaders in primary care to serve all individuals with an emphasis on women and families in diverse, rural, and underserved populations.”

In addition, Reimann is the only full-scope CNM with delivery privileges at Missouri Baptist Medical Center. Her new position enables her to serve women seeking whole-person, time-intensive midwifery care who may not meet low-risk criteria for an out-of-hospital birth or simply prefer the hospital setting.

“We have an excellent out-of-hospital, free-standing birth center and an in-hospital birth center in St. Louis,” said Reimann. “Now, we can provide quality midwifery care for some higher-risk patients who are planning a hospital birth.”

By working with a collaborating physician, Reimann is able to support women facing special cases such as TOLACs (trial of labor after cesarean) and TOLAC2s (trial of labor after two caesareans). A TOLAC is an attempted vaginal birth in a patient who has had a previous Cesarean section. Frontier recognizes that it is provider collaboration like Reimann is implementing that will create effective change in the health care system and ultimately lower maternal mortality rates.

Improving maternal health, specifically maternal mortality, is an urgent task set before women’s health care providers. As cited by the National Vital Statistics System, the 2018 maternal mortality rate was 17.4 maternal deaths per 100,000 births – meaning 658 women died either during pregnancy, at birth, or within 42 days of birth.

With Reimann’s support and her collaborative structure, women who may be labeled “high risk” are able to still safely deliver under the care of a CNM. Her patients range from women whose hopes for home birth were prevented by medical risks, to women simply preferring a hospital setting. Whether her patients are hoping for a natural birth or plan to use an epidural, Reimann seeks to be a partner in the journey, which is an important aspect of nurse-midwifery care.

When it comes to delivering quality care, Reimann says her primary motivators are the shared decision-making model and allowing her patients to make an informed choice.

“As a woman who has been a patient in the general healthcare setting, I know what it is to leave the office visit feeling like I was rushed and didn’t get my questions answered,” Reimann said. “That’s why I try to make sure women feel informed and good about their plan when they’re leaving my practice.”

Her practice’s scheduling system reflects this, giving new patients 60-minute appointment slots while returning patients have 30 minutes to ensure plenty of time for questions and full participation in shared decision-making.

Reimann, who graduated in 2018, credits Frontier for much of her critical thinking skills.

“I encounter new medications or conditions often, but because I was equipped to read the research well, I’m able to go seek those articles and educate myself on an ongoing basis,” she said.

Her expertise and education enable her to better share in the joys and hardships women and families experience during the pregnancy and labor/birth journey.

“It is an honor and privilege to be a part of such an impactful time in people’s lives,” said Reimann. “I want to promote confidence in women that pregnancy, birth, and postpartum are most often normal healthy processes in a woman’s life. I approach their care through that lens though always careful to ensure that things stay healthy and low risk.”

Thank you for your dedication to serving women and families, Kari. We are proud to have you represent Frontier!

Are you interested in becoming a certified nurse-midwife? Frontier Nursing University offers a graduate Nurse-Midwifery specialty track that can be pursued full- or part-time while completing a Master of Science in Nursing or a Post-Graduate Certificate. After earning an MSN or certificate, you have the option to transition to the Companion Doctor of Nursing Practice program via a direct admission process. Learn more here.

Frontier Faculty Dr. Geraldine Q. Young Recognized for Her Contributions to Higher Education

March 8, 2021 By Frontier Nursing University

In honor of Women’s History Month, Diverse magazine recently published its annual special report recognizing women who have made exceptional contributions to higher education in recent years. Frontier Nursing University (FNU) is proud to announce that Dr. Geraldine Young, chief diversity and inclusion officer was one of the 25 outstanding women recognized in this year’s announcement!

Dr. Young, whose service in the nursing profession spans over 20 years, joined FNU in the fall of 2019. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2010), a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from Alcorn State University (2005), and a BSN from the University of Mississippi Medical Center (2001). She is also a board-certified family nurse practitioner (FNP) (2005) and certified diabetes care and education specialist (2011).

“I am incredibly honored and humbled to be recognized on this special list of women,” Dr. Young said. “I am thankful to have led the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at FNU over the past year. As we strengthen our own environment, we have the opportunity to set an example and standard for other institutions to follow. I thank Diverse magazine for this honor and for giving us this platform to inspire others.”

2021 marks the 10th anniversary of Diverse highlighting women who have made a difference by tackling some of higher education’s toughest challenges, exhibiting extraordinary leadership skills, and making a positive difference in their respective communities. It is a true honor to have FNU faculty represented in this enlightening special report.

Click here to view the full article highlighting the efforts of Dr. Young and all of the other wonderful women who have been working hard to improve our education systems!

Preceptor Spotlight: Phyllis Lynn

January 8, 2021 By Frontier Nursing University

At the heart of Frontier Nursing University is a talented and diverse community of students, alumni, faculty, staff, Couriers and preceptors. Spotlight blogs feature our FNU community members that are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.

Born and raised in Jamaica, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) preceptor Mrs. Phyllis Lynn first became a certified midwife in 1967 while working as an RN staff nurse on a postpartum unit.

“In Jamaica, to move up in my career, I had to become a certified midwife. I didn’t want to do it, but my superior insisted I would be a great midwife and pushed me to get certified. I was young; it turns out she knew what I needed better than I did,” Lynn said.

A few years later, Lynn relocated to the United States, where she was recertified as an American nurse-midwife in 1974.

Lynn spent nearly 25 years at her first post in the United States at Interfaith Medical Center, where she worked her way up and spent many years as the supervisor of labor and delivery. In 1993, Lynn spearheaded and opened a new labor and delivery service within the Maimonides medical network in Brooklyn.

Maimonides Midwifery Practice has since served thousands of families and grown to a team of 14 licensed midwives who have completed their master of science in nursing. Since opening the midwifery practice, Lynn has made a point of precepting students, especially nurse-midwife students, whenever possible.

“It is our job as midwives to continue to grow the profession. If we don’t advocate for ourselves, who will? Many people don’t understand what midwifery is or why it’s such a valuable profession. As midwives, we must work every day to help them understand,” Lynn said.

Lynn also encourages all of the students she precepts to continue their education and get their doctorate.

“Schools like FNU make continuing your education very obtainable. I always tell my students that if this is truly something they love, why not go as far as you can with it to help as many patients as possible?” Lynn says.

Lynn doesn’t only believe in a better education for current nursing and nurse-midwife students but is also a strong advocate for patient education. She believes the best way to get a patient to follow necessary health measures is to educate them and provide them with a thorough explanation.

“We have all had patients that, despite our best efforts, don’t follow through on the things we’ve advised. I have found that the best way to encourage action is through constant education. Do not only tell them the ‘what,’ but you also have to explain the ‘why’.” Lynn said. “Then after educating, I break things down into simple steps so that lifestyle changes seem easier to reach.”

Lynn also has another secret for encouraging stubborn expecting mothers to follow health and diet changes- explain the impact of these changes to the husband or boyfriend.

“Women often have cravings and might ask their partner for a cheeseburger or a plate of chili fries, or something else that is not good for the baby. If I tell the father of the effect these foods could have on the mother and the baby, he becomes much less likely to get those foods. Instead, he will encourage healthy choices. I truly believe education is everything.” Lynn said.

Every day, Lynn is delighted to have spent nearly 60 years supporting mothers, families and students in a profession that she loves.

“I am 78. Over the years, there have been days where I’ve been tired, but I have never felt burnt out. I have found my life’s purpose, which is something I wish for everyone. I will retire someday, but I will probably still volunteer. Nursing and midwifery mean so much to me. I can’t imagine working in a more wonderful profession with more wonderful people,” Lynn said

Thank you, Mrs. Lynn, for your continued dedication to nurse-midwives and the nursing profession as a whole. You have made a significant impact on our community, and we are grateful for your continued service.

To read about previously recognized preceptors or to nominate a preceptor, click here.

Are you interested in becoming a Frontier preceptor? Learn more here.

Alumni Spotlight: Hélène A. Nau: Providing Care to Those Who Need it Most.

December 10, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

Dr. Hélène Nau, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, graduated with her doctor of nursing practice (DNP) from Frontier Nursing University (FNU) in March of this year. Originally from Haiti, Nau built and ran the only emergency room in her home country and was the only trained emergency provider on the island when the devastating earthquake hit in January of 2010.

When the earthquake occurred, Nau was already an emergency RN, first responder, and medical reserve corps for Broward County and Miami-Dade. She is also advanced trauma, acute care and basic life support certified and has served in many critical environments and natural disaster-affected communities.

Following the earthquake recovery process, Nau moved to the United States to further her medical education. She earned her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) Magna Cum Laude from Chamberlain College of Nursing in 2015, then pursued her master of science in nursing (MSN) with a concentration in family medicine at Chamberlain University and graduated in 2017 with distinction.

Nau said she chose to become a family nurse practitioner (FNP) so that she could better provide a broad spectrum of care to those in need.

“I didn’t want to find myself limited to one population,” Nau said. “I wanted to be able to serve families, geriatric, women and pediatric, to provide as much care as possible. I believe in hands-on holistic care and enjoy the possibility of treating whole families.”

Nau first heard about Frontier while doing online research to find the best DNP program for her lifestyle. She chose FNU for the low tuition, flexibility and time frame offered for completing the DNP program. Although, once she enrolled, Nau found her favorite part of the program to be the Frontier Bound and Clinical Bound sessions. Nau loved connecting and building community with fellow students.

“I am incredibly thankful for all of the close friends I made through the FNU Bound sessions, and for the support I received from the wonderful faculty throughout my journey,” Nau said.

Nau completed her DNP at FNU with a 4.0 GPA.

In 2014 and 2015, Nau was the Volunteer of the Year Award recipient in Broward County. Additionally, this year she received the Pearl Of Nursing Award from Pearls of Life Women Foundation. She also is a Board Member for CapraCare, a non-profit organization dedicated to developing sustainable health programs for Haitian children and their families.

Because of her background working with those dealing with devastation, Nau’s focus is to deliver care to individuals and families who might otherwise go without access due to their immigration or financial status. For this reason, Nau opened her practice, HEALTH360, a direct primary care facility in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Her practice was created with the mission to deliver affordable and accessible quality care to those in her community. Through the direct primary care model, Nau can treat those without insurance or with high deductible plans more personally, with an obtainable cost for the patient.

Celebrating Dr. Nau’s 50th birthday at Neurofit360

In her spare time, Nau volunteers at NeuroFit360, a neurological recovery facility dedicated to spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, where she dons multiple hats. She is in charge of human resources, health maintenance monitoring, X-ray and MRI reading. She also administers IV therapy at NeuroFit360 to neurologically injured clients and high-performance athletes.

Nau is also an outspoken cancer fighter who promotes early detection. Her DNP project was titled Implementation of Screening and Effective Care for Cancer Prevention at GetMed Urgent Care and worked to implement cancer screenings at an urgent care center that had not previously offered this service. Her results showed how easy and vital adding these types of programs to new environments can be.

To round off her many accomplishments, Nau is also a member of the Emergency Nurses Association, Haitian-American Nurses Association, Black Nurse Practitioners of Palm Beach County, AANP and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society.

Although she is a board-certified family practitioner, runs her own practice and has won multiple awards, Nau likes to say that the most important people in her life just call her “Mom”.

Thank you, Hélène, for all you do to provide quality care to those in need. FNU is proud to have you as a part of our community!

To find out more about other compassionate and driven FNU alumni, visit the alumni news page.

Alumni Spotlight: Onidis Lopez: A Lifelong Helper

November 30, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

Onidis Lopez is a Frontier Nursing University (FNU) master of science in nursing (MSN), doctor of nursing practice (DNP) alumna, but she was a midwife long before arriving at FNU for Frontier Bound. Born and raised in South Florida, Lopez grew up in a lower-income community that worked together to build each other up. Lopez’s grandmother was known as the ‘community grandmother.’ She was a voice of reason and a helper; the person called whenever someone needed advice or had a life event. By the time Lopez was 15, whenever her grandmother received a call about a birth in the community, Lopez was the one sent to help.

“I remember always feeling drawn towards pregnant women,” Lopez says. “As a child, I was imitated by adults and didn’t like being around them, but whenever I saw a pregnant woman, I felt at ease. I would go up to them and ask them questions; I was so excited to learn more about their baby.”

Lopez remembers skipping school to help with births. She was there to welcome every one of her nieces and nephews into the world and even recalls abruptly leaving a club with her college friends to assist with the birth of her cousin’s child. However, as much as she loved helping mommas and newborns, she didn’t initially believe she wanted to be a doctor.

“When my sister was giving birth, I saw the doctor come in for the last few minutes, and I thought, I don’t want to do that. I wondered if there was a job out there for someone like me who wanted to support the mother and child through the whole pregnancy,” Lopez said.

Lopez initially went to college for architecture, but in 2002 she finally followed her calling and enrolled in Miami college for her associate’s degree in midwifery.

Because of Lopez’s experience in hospitals during births, she did not initially believe she was interested in a nursing degree. However, Lopez greatly admired her midwifery professor, Diana Gregory, and one day while visiting her office, she noticed the degree on Gregory’s wall. Gregory had graduated from FNU.

“I thought to myself then, if I ever do decide to become a certified nurse-midwife, I’ll go to Frontier,” Lopez said.

In the meantime, Lopez worked closely with families providing home births through a birth center. In 2012 she decided to further her knowledge of midwifery and enrolled at Frontier. Lopez chose FNU for its strong history of success, the program’s flexibility and the excellent example of midwifery that her professor had provided.

Today Lopez is a certified DNP, APRN, CNM-BC working at St. Lucie Women and Children Center in St. Lucie, Fla., where she still holds close to her midwifery roots.

“That is who I am at heart. I use that presence to calm the mommas and the families; if something doesn’t go as planned, that’s okay. I will walk with them through the halls and talk with them; I tell them this is their body, and we will work with it. It isn’t about getting an IV at the right time, or having a certain number of nurses, it is about bringing new life to this world,” Lopez says.

For Lopez’s DNP project, Reducing Primary Cesareans: Improving Patient-Centered Care By Standardizing The Induction of Labor Processes, she worked to bring the sense of compassion and community that she has used her whole life into the hospital setting.

“The goal of my program was to create shared decision making between the clinician and the patient, so many times the physician will say ‘this or that happened so we are inducing you’ without explaining or asking the patient how they feel. I believe the patient should have a larger role in their birth experience.”

Through Lopez’s project, the Primary C-section rate at the trial locations decreased from 24.4 percent to 16 percent in just eight weeks. Lopez found that patients were unlikely to argue with a sudden C-section option when feeling pressured by healthcare workers. However, when presented with all of the information and given a choice, many women chose to wait and had equally successful pregnancies.

As the first member of her family to attend college, encouraging others to be their best self is extremely important to Lopez. As her interview closed, Lopez ended with a heartwarming story of the power of representation.

“In our area, we regularly see a population of indigenous people who have children at a very young age. Recently I assisted 16 and 19-year-old sisters with their births just months apart. When the 19-year-old came in, their mother recognized me and introduced me to her younger girls, ages seven and 10. The 10-year old looked at me, surprised to see someone who looked like her in a leadership role at the hospital; she asked, ‘You’re the midwife?’

“I told her that I was and that I would make a deal with her- I would deliver her baby too, but only after she came back to me with two diplomas, one from high school and one from college.”

“The next day, I saw her mother again while performing her sister’s post-partum check-up. The girl’s mother told me that the night after I spoke with the 10-year old, she announced at dinner, ‘Dad, I’m not going to have a baby until I go to college and have two diplomas. I think that’s really important.’

“When I heard that, I got goosebumps. In my career, I want to help as many mothers find comfort as I can, but if I can also help little girls see a bigger future for themselves, that makes me feel truly wonderful.”

Lopez was recently the featured nurse-midwife in the American College of Nurse-Midwives’ (ACNM) Quickening publication and was invited to represent her area on the ACNM’s Midwives of Color Committee.

FNU is unbelievably proud of Lopez and her many accomplishments. We believe that she will continue to promote positive change throughout the healthcare community and help lead nursing and midwifery towards a brighter future.

To find out more about other compassionate and driven FNU alumni, visit the alumni news page.

Frontier University Celebrates Their 2020 Homecoming Award Winners

October 20, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

Each year, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) alumni and faculty gather for fun, fellowship, sharing memories and to celebrate the accomplishments of their peers at the annual Homecoming event. Although COVID-19 prevented the university from hosting an in-person gathering this fall, the university still worked hard to honor those who have shined exceptionally bright this year through its annual Homecoming awards.

The annual Homecoming awards fall into two primary categories including The Distinguished Service to Society Award, which provides recognition for alumni who go above and beyond to provide exceptional service in their communities; and The Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award, which honors alumni who have supported Frontier through volunteer efforts and/or donor support. Additionally, FNU also presents its Mary Breckinridge Lifetime Service Award and Unbridled Spirit Award for members of the FNU community who have shown unyielding support to the school.

The community at FNU is proud of the accomplishments of these award winners and the many ways in which they have represented FNU and its mission. Here are this year’s Homecoming award winners:

Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award:

Rebeca Barroso, DNP, MSN, RN, CNM, FACNM

Rebeca Barroso lives in St. Paul, Minn., where she was in full-scope nurse-midwifery clinical practice for more than 20 years, after 22 years in direct-entry midwifery practice. Dr. Barroso, who earned both her nurse-midwifery certificate and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) from FNU, served as an assistant professor at Frontier from 2011 to 2016. She is currently an associate professor at St. Catherine University in Saint Paul, Minn., where she teaches the graduate level maternal-infant content and pathophysiology for the nurse practitioner students.

Dr. Barroso has an extensive clinical midwifery background, working with vulnerable women experiencing health disparities from multiple cultural backgrounds. In 2008, Dr. Barroso was the recipient of the Community Service Award granted by Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis for her work with patients from these underserved populations.

Dr. Barroso is a co‐editor of Best Practices in Midwifery: Using the Evidence to Implement Change, Second Edition (2016), and DNP Capstone Projects: Exemplars of Excellence in Practice (2015). She is a fellow of the American College of Nurse-Midwives. In 2011, Dr. Barroso won ACNM’s W. Newton Long Award for the Advancement of Midwifery.

Throughout her career, Dr. Barroso has been a dedicated supporter of FNU. She has precepted more than a dozen Frontier students and has been a generous donor for more than 20 years. FNU thanks Dr. Barroso for her remarkable commitment to her profession, her community, and to Frontier. FNU is proud to present her with the 2020 Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award.

Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award:

Rebecca Feldman, CNM, PMHNP

Rebecca Feldman is a nurse-midwife, psychiatric nurse practitioner, and psychotherapist in maternal mental health. She sees clients in private practice in the offices of Boro Park Ob/Gyn and Midwives, and at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, N.Y., as part of the perinatal psychiatry team.

She earned her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from FNU and a Post Master’s in Psychiatric Nursing from NYU. Feldman, who has delivered more than 70 babies, has a broad range of nursing experience, as well as ten years of experience as a nurse-midwife. Her vast experience helped her identify an area of need in women’s health care -perinatal mental health. She applied for grants to start mothers’ groups in English and Spanish. She made these evidence-based support groups available to mothers at no cost and continues to provide mental health services to clients with underlying mental health diagnoses or perinatal mood disorders.

Feldman provides mental health care during all aspects of family building, including preconception planning, families struggling with infertility, postpartum parents, as well as those surviving pregnancy, infant or child loss. She facilitates a weekly group for pregnant or postpartum clients struggling with depression and/or anxiety, and payment is only by donation.

In addition to her service to her patients, she is also a leader and advocate. She is a frequent guest speaker on maternal mental health and is an advocate for making maternal mental health care accessible to all families in need. Feldman has seemingly always been willing to give her time and expertise to assist others. Even as a student at FNU, she hosted case days in her home. As a graduate, she has precepted FNU students every year since becoming eligible to do so in 2016.

Feldman is a credit to her FNU training and a most worthy recipient of the 2020 Distinguished Service to Alma Mater Award.

Distinguished Service to Society Award:

Rachel Lien, FNP

Rachel Lien, who earned her MSN and Family Nurse Practitioner degrees from Frontier, quickly applied what she learned at the school. Shortly after graduation, she signed on at a pediatric inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Massachusetts, where patients from all over the world came for specialized treatment.

Based on Lien’s work with patients from Arabic-speaking countries, her community service in interfaith dialogue groups, and a Moroccan American community group, she was awarded the Kathryn Davis Peace Fellowship. This fellowship allowed her to study Arabic for a full summer. An additional scholarship from One Nurse At A Time led her to Pakistan, where she volunteered at a hospital and clinic. Lien worked in the newborn inpatient unit and taught classes to promote health and wellness among the staff and students.

Next, Lien traveled to Greece to work at a clinic in a refugee camp. Working abroad taught her that one person traveling to volunteer was not enough and how politics, culture, and organizational structure contribute to the vast disparities in health worldwide.

With these experiences and new insights, Lien returned to Massachusetts to continue learning and preparing herself to be a more significant agent of change. She is now pursuing her DNP at Frontier and working at Franklin Family Practice. Her tireless efforts to learn how to best serve her community, paired with her commitment to improving health outcomes worldwide, are inspiring. Rachel Lien is an outstanding example of providing service to others, and, for that reason, FNU is proud to honor her as the winner of the 2020 Distinguished Service to Society Award.

Distinguished Service to Society Award:

Melva Craft-Blacksheare, DNP, MS, RN, CNM

Dr. Melva Craft-Blacksheare is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Michigan-Flint School of Nursing. She has been a registered nurse (RN) for over 40 years and a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) for 26. Dr. Craft-Blacksheare, who earned her CNM from FNU, practices as a centering pregnancy facilitator with the St. John Providence Health System in the Metro Detroit area.

Dr. Craft-Blacksheare is the lead faculty at the University of Michigan-Flint for Maternity Nursing and Issues in Women’s Health courses. She also co-chairs DNP student research projects and serves on the curriculum committee, student concerns committee, and is a former advisory member of the Women’s Educational Center. She is a co-chair for the A.C.T.S (A Chance to Succeed) Mentoring Program. She is on the steering committee of Genesys Hospital Centering Pregnancy.

Dr. Craft-Blacksheare is a member of the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Association of Women’s Health Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, and the Greater Flint Black Nurses Association. She has been the project director for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant “New Careers in Nursing” to increase nursing workforce diversity. She is a chartered member of the Chi Eta Phi, Sorority Inc. Iota Chi Chi Chapter, an international professional nursing sorority whose mission is “service for humanity.”

As a leader in her field and at her university, Dr. Craft-Blacksheare embodies the spirit of Frontier. A preceptor to FNU students, she continues to give back to FNU and the nurse-midwifery profession as an educator, researcher, and practitioner. For her decades of service and commitment to FNU, Dr. Melva Craft-Blacksheare is the very deserving winner of this year’s Distinguished Service to Society Award.

During each Homecoming Ceremony, FNU also presents awards to some of their most dedicated and passionate supporters. This year’s winners include:

Mary Breckinridge Lifetime Service Award:

Dr. Susan Graham and Dr. Jon Kucera

Dr. Susan Graham, a member of the extended Breckinridge family, and her husband, Dr. Jon Kucera, are longtime FNU supporters. They have inspired others to give as well, such as matching donations to FNU on Giving Tuesday.

Their gifts have supported many FNU initiatives, including student scholarships and the Kitty Ernst Midwifery Endowed Chair Fund. In 2019 they made a pledge for the construction of a walking path around the Versailles campus.

Not only do they support FNU with financial gifts, but also with gifts of time and expertise. Susan is an active member of FNU’s Leadership Council and stays closely connected to the university and its mission.

With the deepest gratitude for their support, FNU proudly presents Dr. Susan Graham and Dr. John Kucera with the Mary Breckinridge Lifetime Service Award.

Unbridled Spirit Award:

Ellen Bayard

Ellen Bayard served as a Frontier Nursing Service Courier from the early fall of 1968 to the late spring of 1969. Since that time, her generous annual contributions have helped to further the mission and work of Frontier. In addition to her financial commitment, Ms. Bayard has volunteered her time and talents as a member of the Courier Advisory Council.

In recognition and gratitude for her service as Courier, advisor, and supporter, FNU is proud to present the Unbridled Spirit Award to Ellen Bayard.

Thanks again to all of FNU’s dedicated alumni, friends, and supporters. We couldn’t do this without you, and we wouldn’t want to! To learn more about other alumni activities and how to stay involved, visit FNU’s alumni page. For more information on how to become a donor and help Frontier spread quality care to underserved communities, click here.

Looking Back At FNU’s 2020 Virtual Commencement Ceremony

October 16, 2020 By Frontier Nursing University

On Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) hosted its first virtual commencement ceremony. The event celebrated the 817 wonderful nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners who completed the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, Master of Science in Nursing degree, or Post-Graduate Certificate programs this year.

Despite the hardships this past year has brought, it is an exciting time to graduate from FNU as the University celebrates the 50th anniversary of their Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program and the birth of the FNP program in the United States.

It has also been a year when the world has recognized just how vital nurses and other healthcare professionals are to society, as FNU President Dr. Susan Stone shared in her address to the graduates.

“You represent the calm in the storm. You are the stabilizing force, the givers of care, and of hope,” said Dr. Stone.

This sentiment was further described by the keynote speaker for the commencement, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Rear Admiral (RADM) Sylvia Trent-Adams, Ph.D., RN, FAAN. RADM Trent-Adams served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health from January 2019 until August 2020 and has held various positions in the United States Department of Health & Human Services. A large portion of her work has been to improve access to care for poor and underserved communities, and her values align closely with the FNU mission. As expected, Trent-Adams gave a moving speech in which she inspired students to go forward into their communities and compassionately serve those who need it most.

“We as a profession stand in the crossroad of community and healthcare systems,” said Trent-Adams. “We have an obligation to deliver the best possible care with intention that includes being self-aware and conscious of our actions, our word, and our intent.”

Additional videos of faculty and staff congratulating and encouraging this year’s graduates can be found here.

Although the event took a virtual format, FNU was committed to a ceremony that retained all of the major elements of previous commencements. One of many traditions kept was honoring the students who have gone above and beyond to provide exceptional leadership to their peers. Here are the winners of this year’s Leadership Awards:

The Kitty Ernst Nurse-Midwifery Student Leadership Award: Autumn Fuselier

Women’s Health Care Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award: Gina Kristiansen

Family Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award: Brandy Camperlino

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Student Leadership Award: Kristin McColly

Doctor of Nursing Practice Student Leadership Award: Dr. Minyon Outlaw

Exemplary DNP Project Award: Dr. Kristin Gianelis.

A special congratulations is in order for Dr. Gianelis, who was also recently appointed as a new member of the FNU faculty!

As part of the annual commencement activities, FNU also honors the faculty members who have inspired and impacted students throughout the year. Here are this year’s student choice winners:

Student Choice Excellence in Teaching Academic Faculty Award: Dr. Eileen Thrower

Student Choice Excellence in Teaching Regional Clinical Faculty Award: Dr. Kevin Scalf.

Congratulations again to all of the spectacular students who put in the time and effort to reach these wonderful accomplishments. We are so proud to have you as part of our FNU family and cannot wait to see how you will impact nursing, nurse-midwifery, and the future of healthcare.

To watch FNU’s 2020 commencement ceremony in full, click here!