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 who are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.
Andrea Nikodim BSN, RN
FNU student Andrea Nikodim BSN, RN, is dedicated to making a profound impact in the healthcare field through her work with underserved patients. Currently pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in Nurse-Midwifery, she is set to graduate in 2025.
Last October, Nikodim attended the 2023 AABC Birth Institute as part of FNU’s Professional Organizational Mentoring Program (POMP). POMP matches FNU faculty with nurse practitioner and nurse-midwifery students from underrepresented groups to provide support and mentorship. The program allows students to join a professional organization in their field and gives them the opportunity to attend a professional conference with their mentors. Conference registration and professional membership fees are covered for all faculty mentors and student mentees selected.
Nikodim attended the conference in Tucson, Arizona along with fellow student Cheryl Lynn Barlaan and faculty mentor Dr. Diana Jolles. During the conference, Nikodim had the opportunity to network with nurse-midwives, participate in panel discussions, and enrich her knowledge of midwifery through one-on-one time with Dr. Jolles.
“I was blown away by the connections with other midwives I met, most of them with the help of Dr. Jolles,” Nikodim said. “Dr. Jolles encouraged me to participate in a panel, made me think about the panels that I attended, and connected me with local midwives. The conference itself provided a wealth of information, but the connections I made was by far my favorite part.”
Nikodim balances her studies with her role as a medical scribe for a local family practice doctor in Springfield, Missouri, primarily serving a rural population. She has previously served as a labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum nurse in two rural hospitals and as an RN with an independent birth center.
“In my role, I help ensure that all the patient’s needs are met and make their visit go smoother,” she said. “I work with patients that live in rural areas. I help patients with resources they may otherwise not get access to without a good primary care physician.”
In addition to her role as a medical scribe, Nikodim is also enlisted in the Missouri Army National Guard as a Combat Medic. Juggling her diverse responsibilities on a daily basis, she emphasizes the exceptional support she receives from FNU’s faculty and staff, particularly her academic advisor, Sarah Juett.
“When life or school gets overwhelming, the military and school don’t line up well, or I just need to talk about a life circumstance that’s making it hard to focus on school, Sarah has been there from day one to help me along,” she said.
Nikodim said she has also enjoyed FNU’s emphasis on underserved communities, particularly rural populations.
“I grew up in rural America and this is the type of setting that I have always thrived in,” she said. “I felt like Frontier would strive to help me be successful in my goal as a rural-practice nurse-midwife.”
For Nikodim, becoming a nurse-midwife offers a chance to champion advocacy for women.
“I’ve been involved with situations of obstetrical violence that I was not able to stop as an RN. As a nurse-midwife, I will know how I want to approach my patients and help them be comfortable with advocating for themselves,” she said.
Outside of her studies, work as a medical scribe and her enlistment in the Missouri Army National Guard, Nikodim enjoys spending time with her husband and three dogs, reading and ice skating.
Thank you, Andrea, for your military service and your commitment to serving rural populations. To learn more about POMP, click here.
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Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner (WHNP)
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
As a 
Frontier Nursing University is proud to announce FNU alumni, Megan Ferguson, CNM, as the 2022 Spring Term Featured Preceptor! Ferguson was nominated by 
“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.”
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 who are focused on the mission of educating nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and rural populations.
While more study and research are required to address maternal mortality, Jones-Beatty’s work was duly recognized for its significance. She recently presented her project as a poster presentation at the 
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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).
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