xt7j3t9d6f1s https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7j3t9d6f1s/data/mets.xml The Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. 2012 bulletins  English The Frontier Nursing Service, Inc. Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletins Frontier Nursing University, Vol. 88, No. 1, Fall 2012 text Frontier Nursing University, Vol. 88, No. 1, Fall 2012 2012 2014 true xt7j3t9d6f1s section xt7j3t9d6f1s FNU

FRONTIER NURSING UNIVERSITY
Fall 2012 n Volume 88 n Number 1

50th Anniversary of the Mary Breckinridge Festival

CELEBRATING OUR HERITAGE

An eventful autumn brings Couriers, graduates,
faculty & friends back to our Leslie County home

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US ISSN 0016-2116

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction to FNU

1

The Journey – Dr. Susan Stone

2

Endowment Campaign Update

6

Courier Corner

8

Class Notes

13

Dean’s Report – Dr. Suzan Ulrich

14

Beyond the Mountains

16

Field Notes

24

Footprints

28

In Memoriam

30

Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletin (USPS 835-740,
ISSN 00162116) is published at the end of each quarter by Frontier Nursing Service, Inc., 132 FNS Dr., Wendover, KY 41775.
Periodicals Postage Paid at Hyden, KY and at additional mailing
offices. Subscriptions: $5 per year. POSTMASTER: Send address
changes to Frontier Nursing Service Quarterly Bulletin, 132 FNS
Dr., Wendover, KY 41775.
On the cover: Elsie Maier Wilson, Julie Daniels, Susan Stone, Tracy Ryan, Anne Cockerham and Julie Marfell celebrated the Frontier heritage by sporting riding uniforms like
those historically worn by the FNS nurses. In early October, during Frontier’s Alumni
Homecoming & Courier Conclave weekend, they participated in a parade in Hyden, Ky.,
celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mary Breckinridge Festival.

Copyright FNS, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Frontier does not share its donor mailing list.

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Introduction
to Frontier Nursing University

Mary Breckinridge spent her early years in many parts of the world –
Russia, France, Switzerland and the British Isles. After the deaths of her two
children, she abandoned the homebound life expected of women of her class
to devote herself to the service of others, particularly mothers and children.

Mrs. Breckinridge founded the Frontier Nursing Service in 1925 after
several years of studying and practicing nursing and midwifery in the
United States, England, Scotland and France. It was the first organization
in America to use nurses trained as midwives collaborating with a single
medical doctor/obstetrician, based at their small hospital in Hyden. Originally the staff was composed of nurse-midwives trained in England. They
traveled on horseback and on foot to provide quality prenatal and childbirth
care in the client’s own home. In 1928, she recruited young people to serve
as Couriers and help the Frontier staff and nurse-midwives in all manner of
efforts. In 1939, Mrs. Breckinridge established a school of nurse-midwifery.
The school provided graduates, many of whom stayed to offer care to families
in Leslie County, Kentucky.
Today, Mrs. Breckinridge’s legacy extends far beyond Eastern Kentucky
through Frontier Nursing University (FNU), which offers a Doctor of
Nursing Practice degree and a Master of Science in Nursing degree with
tracks as a Nurse-Midwife, Family Nurse Practitioner and Women’s Health
Care Nurse Practitioner. FNU has students and graduates serving all 50
states and many countries.
Mary Breckinridge said: “Our aim has always been to see ourselves surpassed, and on a larger scale.” (Wide Neighborhoods, 1952)

How to reach us
The Office of Development and Alumni Relations: Please direct questions,
comments or updates to Denise Barrett, Director of Development, at (662) 846-1967 or send
an e-mail to denise.barrett@frontier.edu.
The Wendover Bed & Breakfast Inn: The Big House, Mary Breckinridge’s home, is a licensed
Bed & Breakfast Inn located at Wendover. For reservations or to arrange a tour, call Michael Claussen,
Development Coordinator, at (859) 899-2707 or e-mail michael.claussen@frontier.edu. Group
tours can be arranged, and we are always happy to set up tours for organizations and educational
programs with an interest in nursing history and Appalachian studies.

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THE JOURNEY
By Dr. Susan E. Stone,
Frontier Nursing University President and Dean

Autumn abounds with activity, guests
and our biggest commencement yet

Fall is such a beautiful time of year at Frontier, and incredibly busy, too.
October brought our annual Alumni Homecoming and Courier Conclave, our
Board of Directors quarterly meeting, a meeting of the Leadership Council
for our Endowment Campaign, two Clinical Bound sessions, Frontier’s largest
graduation ceremony ever, and finally our full faculty meeting. We could not
have accomplished this without the incredible attention to detail and extra
time devoted by our staff members.
Mary Breckinridge wrote often about the feat of gathering large groups at
Wendover or the hospital. She described how difficult it was to have such a
large number travel, many by horseback, to Leslie County for events and celebrations. While our transportation methods have obviously eased that burden, we still face quite a task in having such large groups converge on Hyden.
With 80 faculty, 43 staff members, our Board of Directors, and more than 140
returning graduates and 500 family members and guests, this year’s graduation
drew our largest crowd ever. And, for the record, the number of visitors for

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graduation weekend outnumbered the population of Hyden!

For those who have had the pleasure to visit our quaint, historical campus
and beautiful Wendover property, you understand that overnight accommodations are limited. But, somehow, we continue to squeeze more faculty and
staff into our quarters each and every year as we grow. Returning graduates
and their families filled the hotels in the nearby towns of Hazard, Manchester
and London.
We were honored to bestow Master of Science in Nursing degrees and
Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees to 141 returning graduates out of the
more than 300 who completed the program over the last year. We also granted
honorary doctorates to several well-deserving women who have made lasting
impact in nursing and for Frontier. The following women received honorary
doctorates:

Miss Helen E. Browne: Originally from England, Helen Browne came to the Frontier Nursing
Service as a young nurse-midwife in 1938. In her early years, Miss Browne – known affectionately
as “Brownie” – served as a district nurse-midwife and was appointed Supervisor of the Hyden
Hospital during World II. In 1947, she was named Assistant Director of the Frontier Nursing Service. Upon the death of our founder, Mary Breckinridge, Brownie
was unanimously elected FNS Director in 1965. She served in that role until her
retirement in 1975. Under her leadership, the Mary Breckinridge Hospital was
built and the FNS educational program was expanded to combine family nursing and nurse-midwifery into an integrated curriculum. Miss Browne passed
away in 1987.
Judith Pence Rooks: Judith Rooks is an internationally recognized nurse-midwife and epidemiologist with a long career in public health. She has been a teacher of nurses, nurse-midwives

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and medical students and is widely known in nurse-midwifery circles for her seminal publication,
Midwifery and Childbirth in America. Judith has published more than 80 scientific and professional
papers in a wide range of journals, including the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine,
where she was the primary investigator for the landmark study of outcomes in
freestanding birth centers. From her five-plus years of scholarship on birth centers, she came to appreciate that the development of birth centers and perhaps
even midwifery could be enhanced if nitrous oxide, used by midwives in most
other developed countries, was reintroduced in the United States. Over several
years, she completed an exhaustive investigation of the safety and feasibility
of self-administered nitrous oxide for pain relief in childbirth and successfully
overcame the controversy and adversity surrounding its reintroduction. Throughout her career,
she has shined the light of scientific evidence on important issues to improve the health and
welfare of women.
Barbara Safriet: A native of Eastern Kentucky, Barbara was inspired by the work of the
Frontier Nursing Service as a child, and that early influence has shaped her work as an advocate of
the nursing profession. Today, she is a Visiting Professor of Law at Lewis & Clark
Law School in Portland, Ore. From 1988 to 2007, she served as Associate Dean
for Academic Affairs and Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School in New Haven, Conn.
Barbara has served on numerous advisory boards, consulted widely in nursing,
contributed a chapter to the Institute of Medicine’s report on The Future of Nursing, and has been a longtime champion of nurse practitioners and advanced
practice registered nurses. She has published and lectured extensively on topics
of administrative and constitutional law and healthcare workforce regulation.
Throughout her career, Barbara has written extensively about the role of the nurse practitioner
and has advocated regulatory change to expand the scope of practice for nurse practitioners.
The hard work of orchestrating our graduation ceremony is worth it
10 times over. Nothing is more inspiring to our Board, faculty and staff
than to see those graduates march into the gymnasium; to see their families applaud, cry and take photographs; and to witness their graduation in
Hyden, the birthplace of nurse-midwifery and family nursing in America.
Most of our graduates are career nurses with families. We are honored to
have husbands, wives, children and grandparents in attendance. They are
a huge part of a Frontier student’s success, and this is their moment, too!
Join me in congratulating our 2012 graduates. We know they will carry
on the traditions of the Frontier nurse to the thousands of women and
families they will serve.

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FNU President and Dean named
to elite group of nursing leaders

Dr. Stone selected as American Academy of Nursing Fellow
We are proud to announce that Dr. Susan Stone, FNU President and Dean,
was among 176 nurse leaders inducted as Fellows of the American Academy of
Nursing on Oct. 31 during the Academy’s 39th annual meeting and conference
in Washington, D.C. Composed of the nation’s top nurse researchers, policy
makers, scholars, executives, educators and practitioners, the 2012 cohort is the
largest class of inductees yet.
“Selection for membership in the Academy is one of the most prestigious
honors in the field of nursing,” said Academy President Joanne Disch, PhD,
RN, FAAN. The Academy is composed of more than 1,800 nurse leaders in
education, management, practice, policy and research. Selection criteria include
evidence of significant contributions to nursing and healthcare and sponsorship by two current Academy Fellows. Applicants are reviewed by a panel comprised of elected and appointed Fellows, and selection is based, in part, on the
extent to which nominees’ nursing careers influence health policies and the
health and well-being of all.

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FNU Endowment Campaign Update
Honoring our past, focusing on our future

Leadership Council gathers at Wendover
We were pleased to welcome members of
the FNU Endowment Campaign Leadership Council to Wendover for our October
meeting, which was held in conjunction
with the quarterly meeting of the Board of
Directors and our annual commencement
ceremony weekend. It was an exciting and
busy time to visit our campus!
Leadership Council members enjoyed
lunch at the Big House with the full Board
of Directors before convening at the Livery
for an update on campaign progress. Susan Stone and Denise Barrett reported that
nearly $600,000 has been raised toward the
endowment after our first year of effort.
Most of this funding has been pledged by
members of the Leadership Council, faculty, staff and alumni. We then held a rich
discussion on moving the campaign forward in 2013 and beyond. We are excited
by our early success and eager to meet with
more donors who want to be a part of this
historic effort.

6

To make a gift
Gifts to the endowment can be made in
cash, gifts of stock, or as planned gifts/
bequests to be realized in the future.
Pledges can be made for a period of up
to five years. Please call Denise Barrett,
Director of Development, with any questions about giving at (662) 846-1967.

Donor recognition levels
Gifts to the FNU Endowment Campaign are
recognized in the Mary Breckinridge
Society at the following levels:
Founding Trustee: $1 million and above
Life Trustee: $500,000 - $999,999
Trustee: $250,000 - $499,999
Ambassador: $100,000 - $249,999
Sponsor: $50,000 - $99,999
Steward: $25,000 - $49,999
Patron: $10,000 - $24,999
Friend: $5,000 - $9,999
Supporter: $1,000 - $4,999

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All in the Family:

Peter Breckinridge Coffin and Susan Graham
demonstrate Breckinridge family support for FNU
Connected by their family ties to Frontier and moved by the mission and
work of our organization, Peter Breckinridge Coffin and Susan Graham –
both members of the extended Breckinridge family – are volunteering their
energy to ensure a strong future for Frontier Nursing University. Breckinridge
family members reside in states across the country and many remain engaged
with the work of FNU. Peter, who lives with his family in the Boston, Mass.,
area, and Susan, a resident of Rochester, N.Y., have both volunteered as members of the Leadership Council and made generous pledges of support to the
campaign.
Susan, a cardiologist, and her husband, Jon Kucera, an internist, have supported Frontier for many years. Susan visited Wendover and our Hyden campus during the 2010 Breckinridge Family Reunion, held in Kentucky, and
returned again this October for the Leadership Council meeting. (The next
Breckinridge reunion, scheduled for 2014, will be held in Boston.) Susan has
generously joined the campaign effort at the Sponsor level of the Mary Breckinridge Society through a three-year pledge to the campaign.
Peter founded an investment firm, Breckinridge Capital Advisors, which
specializes in municipal and state bonds. His firm also encourages philanthropy and operates a robust corporate giving program. Susan Stone and Denise
Barrett had the opportunity to make a presentation to the corporate giving
committee in October. The committee approved a gift of $25,000 toward the
endowment effort, which Peter has generously matched! Peter, also a Sponsor
in the Mary Breckinridge Society, is helping lead the way for the campaign.
We are beyond thankful for the support of Susan and Peter, as well as all of
the Breckinridge extended family who continue to support our efforts.

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COURIER CORNER

By Nancy Reinhart,
FNU Development Officer/Courier Coordinator,
Courier 1998

Frontier’s Courier Program
promises to be an exciting challenge

“I was a Courier, and the experience changed my life.” I’ve heard that from
so many of you with whom I’ve talked lately. It’s true for me, too. It’s one of
the best parts of the legacy of the Courier program.
I served as a Courier in 1998. During my term, I witnessed my first normal
birth – the birth of twins. I also made
my first rocking chair with Sherman
Wooton. Actually, I shouldn’t say
“first,” because it’s likely to be my
last!
I’ve been hired by FNU to revive
the Courier Program. It will be a
group effort involving advisement
and involvement from former Couriers, Frontier staff and faculty, students and alumni. I’m excited at the
prospect, and I hope to meet many
of you along the way.
The Courier Program won’t be
exactly the way it used to be, and
sometimes change is hard. I share a
vision with many of you – a vision
of returning the Courier Program to
its proper place as one of the most
Sherman Wooton with Nancy Reinhart in 1998

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well-respected, life-changing and adventurous service learning internships in
the country.
We’ll be building on program foundations laid by Mary Breckinridge’s wise
spirit and tended to by various staff and the more than 1,800 Couriers who
have served Frontier since 1928. Just like in the past, we will:
n Continue to place Couriers in Leslie County to live at Wendover, who
will volunteer at Mary Breckinridge hospital, do home health visits, help in
nearby clinics, including Big Creek and Beech Fork, and engage in community projects.
n Require all Couriers to come to volunteer to help with at least one dinner
at the Big House
Building on the strong historical foundation of the Courier Program, we’ll
also explore new frontiers including:
n Placing Couriers at “outpost sites” supervised by FNU alumni. Proposed
2013 outpost sites include birth centers in Madisonville, Tenn., and rural
health clinics in Hazard and McKee, Ky.
n Having all Couriers come to Wendover
for Courier Bound orientation and for CouCheck our Courier list
rier closing
Are your fellow Couriers on our list?
n Increasing the number of Couriers from
A book on the history of the Courier diverse backgrounds and underserved comProgram, to be published in 2013, will in- munities
clude a complete list of all Couriers who
Now you might like to know a little more
served through 2010 as an appendix. We about me.
wouldn’t want anyone’s service to be overAfter my service as a Courier, I obtained
looked. We need YOUR help!
my undergraduate degree from WashingVisit www.frontier.edu/courier and ton and Lee University, where, coincidenlook at our compendium of Couriers and tally, Mary Breckinridge’s father studied. I
years served. If you see someone missing next served in the Peace Corps Armenia as
or something that isn’t quite right, email a health volunteer, traveled in Asia and Afnancy.reinhart@frontier.edu.
rica, and then worked in two organizations
focused on achieving social justice. Along
the way, I got a Master’s Degree in Public Health and a Master’s certification
in Women’s and Gender Studies, became a yoga instructor and a birth doula.
While in the Peace Corps, I met my life partner, Dave Mitchell. We have
since become proud parents of three children (Palden, d., Maya, 3 and Anjali,
9 mos.). A Frontier Nursing University graduate, Kathleen Isaac, caught my
middle child in 2009.
I am excited to bring my passion for birth, my experience in program development and my commitment to health equity and the Frontier mission to the
revival of the Courier Program!
Visit www.frontier.edu/courier to help build and widen the Courier legacy.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email nancy.reinhart@frontier.edu.

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n the Frontier legacy:
spotlight on a Courier
By Marian Barrett Leibold, 1977 Courier Term

This is a new feature of our Quarterly Bulletin in which former Couriers
reflect on their experience. To write one, email nancy.reinhart@frontier.edu.

Mind-widening experiences ‘made
an impression that will never leave me’
Why I became a Courier

I came to help where help seemed needed, drawn in by a spirit of adventure
and the romance of a service once provided by nurses on horseback. In seeking
my own life’s future direction, I was completely intrigued by the organizational
mission and was particularly inspired that it was started by a woman.

First impressions of Wendover
Fellow Courier Kit Jamieson (Wysor) offered to pick me up on her way
through Cincinnati. By the time we arrived in Hyden, we were fast friends.
When I arrived, I felt an immediate sense of belonging. From my journal:
The veil of silver mist rising over the rich green mountains, the apples on the drive,
the dusty pebbles on the road, the nasturtiums which leapt colorfully out of the cracks
in the stone wall, the abundance of purple joepyeweed behind the garden house, an old
shed with sleeping tools, the chicken coop still offering up eggs for breakfast all invited

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me in. … The first day we were introduced to our quarters and the ways of life here
and our mission as couriers.

Inspired by the spirit of Mary Breckinridge
I felt her spirit at Wendover the moment I arrived. Upon studying her life, I
realized that a large impetus for her desire to provide healthcare to the mountain people came from her own grief. The loss of her own children led her not
to retreat from the world, but rather to ask what happens to the people who
have no access to healthcare.
Though I never had the privilege of meeting her, people who remembered
her convinced me she was an extraordinary woman. I was moved by her willingness to leave her own comfort zone to bring a better life to others. Such a
courageous move is born out of tremendous character, conviction and compassion.
I often think of her now, at my age, with an even greater appreciation of all
that she was able to accomplish and the spirit with which she did it.

Lasting changes
Countless experiences with nurses, fellow Couriers, and local people made
an impression that will never leave me. The Courier experience came into my
life at a time when I was ripe for understanding, for asking big questions of
myself and life.
I met a nurse in the midwifery program, Sr. Yvonne de Turenne. I later
joined her in Lesotho, Africa, to learn about her work and the medical missions. Her generosity in hosting me at her St. Rose Mission in Peka, Lesotho,
and the tremendous experience I had there will always leave me grateful to
her.
I went on to medical school at the University of Cincinnati. Before finishing, I decided to turn my attention to my family. I now live with my husband,
Jack. Our four young adult children are pursuing their callings. I reflect often
upon the importance of the mentors in the lives of young people, and I feel
fortunate that I had such valuable ones at FNS.

The legacy of the Courier program
Teaching the rewards of deep and lasting commitments, valuing the opportunity to leave one’s comfort zone for another look at life, and the importance
of using our lives to further our understanding and development of ourselves
that we may then better serve our families and communities.
Marian Leibold lives in Cincinnati and continues to remain involved as a supporter of Frontier Nursing
University and host of Frontier’s annual Cincinnati Committee dinner.

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Dr. Deborah Skoruppa, left,
shown with FNU faculty member
Dr. Susan Calloway, a member
of the Texas Rural Health
Association Board, displays her
Rural Health Champion Award.
Heather Swanson, winner of the
Rural Health Student of the Year
Award, was unable to attend the
awards luncheon.

FNU alumna and student receive
Texas Rural Health Awards

A Frontier graduate and a Frontier DNP student were recognized with Rural Health Awards at the Texas Rural Health Association meeting on Oct.
31 in San Marcos, Texas. Deborah Skoruppa, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, received
the “Rural Health Champion Award,” and student Heather Swanson, MSN,
CNM, FNP, was named the “Rural Health Student of the Year.”
Dr. Skoruppa has been a champion for serving the underserved, underinsured and impoverished residents in rural areas of Texas for many years. Her
most recent effort was to develop and implement a pilot project in Robstown,
Texas, for improving medication adherence by improving access to prescription drugs and patient education. This program started as her DNP capstone
project, Bridging the Gap: Improving Medication Adherence in South Texas, and is
now spreading to the community where she is collaborating with a local church
to provide additional resources to patients.
Most patients served by the clinic in Robstown are covered by public insurance plans or have no coverage. Skoruppa noted that during follow-up visits, a
patient often returned with his or her health problem unimproved. The patients
often responded, “I did not get my prescription.” When the rationale was explored for not filling their prescription, several barriers to access were identified,
such as financial, transportation or language issues.
Skoruppa collaborated with the Robstown Health Center to conduct a pilot
project to address the problem. She conducted a formal assessment of the issues and discovered that 30-40% of prescriptions are met with barriers to filling
them, such as confusion, delays and lack of funds.
Skoruppa devised interventions that included providing one-on-one patient
education in Spanish, using materials written in Spanish and providing oneon-one education about resources to access medications given the patient’s
limitations. Because of the success of the pilot program, Skoruppa is working
with various prescription-assistance programs to bring them closer to the clinic

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patients in Robstown. Through utilization of local resources, such as clinics and
churches, the health of the population within this community can be improved.
Her goal is to present her project to other rural communities for replication.
Swanson received the Student of the Year Award for her project designed to
assure the sustainability of Holy Family Services, a birth center just north of
the Mexican border near Weslaco, Texas. Swanson first came to Holy Family
as a volunteer nurse-midwife, and ultimately wound up in a leadership role. She
chose as her project the creation of a plan for the financial stability of the center
to assure that the clinic could continue to provide services to the 88 percent of
residents in the surrounding area living at or below federal poverty guidelines.

CLASS NOTES
Priscilla Craw writes that she is doing short-term trips to Haiti teaching
“Home Based Life Saving Skills” to non-traditional birth attendants. This was
developed by Sandy Tebben Buffington (a 1968 classmate). She is also supporting PN clinics in Haiti.

Recent graduate Jona Hutson wrote that she would be starting employment
with University of Nebraska OB/GYN Physician’s Group and College of
Medicine on Sept. 1. “I will have office hours as well as catch at two hospitals
in Omaha, NE. I absolutely plan on spending a couple years getting some
experience then passing along my FNU spirit by precepting.”
Dr. Kristi Davis Menix of Bozeman, Mont., writes that she is currently working

as a nurse consultant for professional development and staff education, including program and competency development. Dr. Menix was a district nurse for
FNU in 1967-1968 at Brutus Clinic.

Mrs. Judy Rafson, Class of 1972, recently sent a donation toward the repair
of the St. Christopher’s Chapel window. She writes that the window holds a
special place in her and her husband’s hearts since they were married beneath
that window on May 24, 1975! Thank you, Judy, for the generous support.
Arlene Schuiteman, Class of 1959, writes that at age 88, she was delighted to

make two trips back to Africa recently. She traveled with Northwestern College from Orange City, Iowa, when the drama ministry ensemble presented
Iowa Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Iowa Ethiopia is drawn from Ms.
Schuiteman’s experiences as a missionary.

Mrs. Barbara Brown Webster, former FNS Courier, writes that she is retired
from her position at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and enjoying
leisure days at her home, “The Nuthatchery.” Mrs. Webster is an ardent birder,
leading walks in the Holden Arboretum during the spring migration.

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DEAN’S REPORT

By Dr. Suzan Ulrich, DrPH, CNM, FACNM
FNU Associate Dean for Midwifery and Women’s Health

Passing the torch:

New generation of nurse-midwifery leaders
emerging at Frontier Nursing University

F

rontier Nursing University always has a strong showing at the American
College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Meeting. We greet students, alumni,
preceptors and friends, reconnecting with members of the Frontier family. Singing always comes from our reception, signaling to everyone that Frontier is present. I have been struck by how these meetings are highlighting a
new generation of emerging national leaders who are young, energetic Frontier
graduates, such as Kendra Adkisson!
A 2012 graduate, Kendra Adkisson, CNM, MSN, has been a star at the
American College of Nurse-Midwives Annual Meeting for the past two years.
She made her debut with the video We Need You to Become a Midwife, which
won an honorable mention in the 4th annual ACNM video contest in 2011
(search that title on YouTube to view the video). The video was a satirical presentation of the life of a midwife, including the minor inconveniences of being
called out in the middle of the night, giving up social occasions and missing
family events, balanced with such rewards as high pay and being with women
during the sacred event of birth. It was shown at the meeting to rave reviews.
That same meeting also found Kendra the recipient of the Helen Varney
Award. This award is given to a student nurse-midwife who demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities. The winner attends the annual meeting and accompanies Mary Brucker, PhD, CNM, FACNM, to various committee meetings, getting a bird’s-eye view of the ACNM leadership. One of the judges said
she was so impressed with the support letter for Kendra from FNU, which said:

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Kendra Adkisson has been a breath of life in the Lexington, Kentucky, midwifery
scene. She is determined to bring midwifery care to Lexington where it is scarce and
hopefully start a birth center. She was instrumental in presenting the “Business of
Being Born” to an audience of over 150 people. She has represented midwifery on the
local TV station news spot about midwifery care. Kendra is driven, dynamic, and
poised. She is a leader in the birth community of Lexington, Kentucky. She is also
a leader at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, mentoring new
students as they enter the midwifery program. She would be an outstanding Varney
Scholar. She has so much to offer and would gain much from this opportunity.

This award opened doors for Kendra and energized her to become involved
in the ACNM Political Action Committee, serving actively even as she completed her midwifery studies at Frontier. Kendra also was asked by ACNM to
create a video for the 2012 Annual Meeting. She developed a spoof called Midwifery Parity and played the
role of ACNM President,
talking to world leaders,
defusing a bomb, catching a
baby, and welcoming all the
midwives to the 57th annual ACNM meeting (search
“A Midwifery Parity by
Kendra Adkisson” on YouTube). Kendra took center
stage with ACNM President and Frontier graduate Holly Powell Kennedy,
PhD, CNM, FACNM,
FAAN, at the opening sesKendra Adkisson, right, on stage with Holly Powell Kennedy
sion, receiving a standing
ovation for her video that launched the meeting with great energy and humor.
After that annual meeting, Kendra completed her midwifery program at
FNU, made a trip to Haiti, where she taught 80 nursing students, and joined
the CNM practice Women’s Care of the Bluegrass in Frankfort, where she
works alongside fellow Frontier alums Katie Isaac, CNM, and Emily Dial,
CNM. She continues to be a birth advocate and is developing a birth center in
Kentucky. She has represented Frontier on local TV stations, at the signing of
the 2012 National Nurse-Midwifery Week proclamation by Lexington Mayor
Jim Gray, and at the recent Bluegrass Luncheon. Frontier honored Kendra with
the Kitty Ernst Leadership Award during the 2012 Commencement Ceremony in Hyden on Oct. 27.
We expect more great accomplishments from Kendra in the future, including
a birth center in Kentucky, as she takes the leadership torch for a new generation of Frontier leaders.

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BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS

Mrs. Elizabeth Kramer (front row, third from left), shown with her family, was honored by Dr. Susan Stone
(second from left) on behalf of Frontier Nursing University during the 2012 National Philanthropy Day Luncheon.

FNU honors Elizabeth Kramer
at National Philanthropy Day event

Frontier Nursing University honored Mrs. Elizabeth Kramer of Lexington,
Ky., for her passion and support for our mission during the 2012 National Philanthropy Day Awards Ceremony presented by the Bluegrass Chapter of the
Association of Fundraising Professionals. The event, which celebrates the spirit
of giving and recognizes individuals, non-profits and companies that have made
a significant contribution to enhancing the quality of life in their communities,
was