Versailles, KY, Oct. 16, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) president Dr. Susan Stone, DNSc, CNM, FACNM, FAAN, was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Dr. Susan Stone has served as President of Frontier Nursing University since 2001. NAM states the election recognizes Dr. Stone’s achievements that have opened the door to more than 5,000 nurses to achieve graduate education and positively impact the accessibility of quality health care for rural families across the United States.
Dr. Stone is a leader in the development of strategies to increase the quality and capacity of the midwifery and advanced practice nursing workforce with the specific goal of improving health care for families. Her primary position for the last two decades is as the leader of Frontier Nursing University where she led the transition from a community-based school of nurse-midwifery offering a basic certificate program with 200 students enrolled to an accredited University offering master’s and doctoral degrees to nurses seeking graduate degrees. Today the University has over 2,000 graduate nursing students enrolled from every state in the United States and seven foreign countries. The focus is educating primary care providers from rural and underserved communities who will then serve rural and underserved populations. Within its degree programs, the university now offers tracks leading nurses to certification as nurse-midwives, family nurse practitioners, women’s health care nurse practitioners, and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners.
Dr. Stone currently also serves as the President of the American College of Nurse-Midwives where her agenda includes increasing the midwifery workforce through educational quality and capacity strategies, advocacy especially related to the maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, and increasing the diversity of the healthcare workforce. She believes collaboration with other health care professionals is essential to achieve the goal of improving the health of women and families.
“I am deeply honored to be elected to The National Academy of Medicine,” said Dr. Stone. “I am so grateful for this opportunity to work collaboratively with and learn from other leaders across many other medical professions and disciplines. I am eager to join the Academy’s ongoing efforts to improve health and healthcare.”
The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) announced the election of 75 regular members and 10 international members during its annual meeting. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.
“This distinguished and diverse class of new members is a truly remarkable set of scholars and leaders whose impressive work has advanced science, improved health, and made the world a better place for everyone,” said National Academy of Medicine President Victor J. Dzau. “Their expertise in science, medicine, health, and policy in the U.S. and around the globe will help our organization address today’s most pressing health challenges and inform the future of health and health care. It is my privilege to welcome these esteemed individuals to the National Academy of Medicine.”
New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health. A diversity of talent among NAM’s membership is assured by its Articles of Organization, which stipulate that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from fields outside the health professions — for example, from such fields as law, engineering, social sciences, and the humanities. The newly elected members bring NAM’s total membership to 2,178 and the number of international members to 159.
Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding. With their election, NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their service in National Academies activities.
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About Frontier Nursing University:
The mission of FNU is to provide accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education 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. FNU offers graduate Nurse-Midwifery and Nurse-Practitioner distance education programs that can be pursued full- or part-time with the student’s home community serving as the classroom. Degrees and options offered include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Post-Graduate Certificates. To learn more about FNU and the programs and degrees offered, please visit Frontier.edu.
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