DiversityNursing Blog

On July 18-19, 2024, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) will hold its 14th annual Diversity Impact Conference. The Diversity Impact Conference brings together renowned thought leaders and speakers to increase awareness of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the healthcare workforce, particularly for those working in underserved and rural communities. The conference is a virtual event conducted via Zoom. This year’s conference theme is “Representation Matters: Breaking Down Contributing Factors of Health Inequities.”

“As we continue to finalize the plans for the 2024 Diversity Impact Conference, we are thrilled to announce our two keynote speakers for this year’s event,” said FNU Dean of Inclusive Excellence and Student Success Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, APRN. “Dr. Lucinda Canty and Dr. Lisa Meeks are recognized experts on healthcare disparities and their underlying causes. This promises to be an incredibly informative and inspiring conference, and we are proud to be able to make it available to an increasingly broader audience.”

Dr. Lucinda Canty, Ph.D., CNM, FACNM, is an 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, Ph.D, MA, 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. In addition to developing impactful programs, Dr. Meeks plays a pivotal role in advancing equity through her collaborations with health professions associations.

The full conference schedule and speaker biographies can be found at frontier.edu/diversity-impact.

Students attending any institution can register for the conference for free. All others can register with an early bird discount by May 31 or at the regular registration price starting June 1 until the day before the event. For more information about the 2024 Diversity Impact Conference and to register, please visit frontier.edu/diversity-impact.

“We are delighted to offer this conference at no cost to students,” said FNU Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tanya Belcheff, DNP, CNM. “We firmly believe that all students deserve the chance to participate and gain insights from impactful conferences like this one. We view investing in students as an investment in the future. This initiative supports the upcoming generation of leaders and visionaries who will ensure that healthcare is accessible to everyone.”

Versailles, Ky. – On June 8-9, 2023, Frontier Nursing University (FNU) will hold its annual Diversity Impact Conference. The Diversity Impact Conference brings together renowned thought leaders and speakers to increase awareness of the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the healthcare workforce, particularly for those working in underserved and rural communities. This year, for the first time, the conference will be available for attendees outside of FNU.

“We are extremely excited about the 2023 Diversity Impact Conference,” said FNU Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Dr. Paula Alexander-Delpech, Ph.D., PMHNP-BC, APRN. “The Conference gets better each and every year, and we are putting the finishing touches on the plan for this year’s sessions. We are most excited, however, about being able to include more attendees this year. As we grow this important event, we want to invite leaders and students from some of our area universities to join us. This event is all about collaboration, learning, and growing. I’m confident that it will benefit any university, department, or individual.”

The 2023 Diversity Impact Conference will be conducted via Zoom. The theme of this year’s conference is “Better Together: Advancing a Culture of Identity and Belonging in Healthcare.” The two-day event will feature keynote presentations on both days from nationally recognized leaders in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additional sessions will include panel discussions, breakout sessions, and time for reflection.

The opening keynote address will be given by Dr. Tia Brown McNair, Vice President of 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, D.C. On the second day of the conference, the keynote speaker will be Rebekka Eshler, National President of the Transgender American Veterans Association in Washington, D.C.  All speaker bios and the full conference schedule can be found at https://frontier.edu/diversity-impact/

The learning outcomes attendees can expect to take away from the Diversity Impact Conference include:

• Identify specific strategies to create a culture of belonging amongst peers and the larger community
• Discuss the causes behind healthcare disparities and their effect on creating a culture of belonging
• Reflect on ways to effectively engage in spaces to promote diversity in identity
• Practice ways to build collaborative communities

Students attending any institution can register for the conference for free. All others can register at the registration price of $99 until the day before the event. For more information about the 2023 Diversity Impact Conference and to register, please visit https://frontier.edu/diversity-impact/.

#####

About Frontier Nursing University:

The mission of Frontier Nursing University is to provide accessible nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner education that integrates the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We transform healthcare by preparing innovative, ethical, compassionate, and entrepreneurial leaders to work with all people with an emphasis on rural and underserved communities. 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. In 2021 and 2022, Frontier was named a “Great College to Work For” by the Great Colleges to Work For® program. To learn more about FNU and the programs and degrees offered, please visit Frontier.edu.