SUSAN STONE
President Emerita,
Frontier Nursing University
By Scott White
Woodford Sun Staff
Susan E. Stone, the longtime former president of Frontier Nursing University headquartered in Versailles, is set to receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Emory University in Atlanta at its spring commencement. Stone is one of three people being honored this year.
The honorary degree recognizes a career devoted to expanding access to high-quality health care and strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce for generations to come.
Stone is a certified nurse-midwife and a nationally recognized nursing leader and is being recognized for “her transformative contributions to midwifery, advanced practice nursing and the improvement of health care for families,” according to an Emory University news release.
“Dr. Stone is beyond deserving of this recognition,” Frontier Nursing University President Brooke A. Flinders told the Sun. “Her vision and leadership not only expanded our programming and enrollment at Frontier, but also increased access to healthcare across the entire nation. She has been a passionate and impactful advocate for the expansion of practice for certified nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners at the local, regional, national and international levels.”
From 2001 to 2024, Stone served as president of Frontier Nursing University, which is the nation’s oldest and largest continually operating nurse-midwifery education program.
“Under her visionary leadership, Frontier sharpened its mission to prepare primary care providers for rural and underserved communities. During her tenure, the institution evolved from offering one community-based certificate program that enrolled approximately 200 students into a fully accredited university offering master’s and doctoral degrees. Enrollment expanded to more than 2,500 graduate nursing students, including nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners serving communities across the country,” according to the release.
Stone is a past president of the American College of Nurse-Midwives and was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine in 2018 — one of only two nurses selected in her class. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Science degree from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and is a fellow of both the American College of Nurse-Midwives and the American Academy of Nursing.
Stone is currently president emerita and Distinguished Chair of Midwifery and Nursing at Frontier, and, according to the release, continues to advance midwifery and nursing practice nationally and internationally.