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Nursing luminary Susan Stone to receive Emory honorary degree

Susan Stone portrait

Susan Stone is president emerita and Distinguished Chair of Midwifery and Nursing at Frontier Nursing University.

Certified nurse-midwife and nationally recognized nursing leader Susan E. Stone has made transformative contributions to midwifery, advanced practice nursing and the improvement of health care for families.

Stone began her career as an obstetrical nurse before earning certification in nurse-midwifery. She practiced as a full-scope nurse-midwife for 10 years, providing comprehensive care to women and families. Recognizing that expanding the midwifery workforce was essential to improving health outcomes, she transitioned into education —dedicating her career to preparing the next generation of nurse-midwives and advanced practice nurses.

From 2001 to 2024, Stone served as president of Frontier Nursing University in Versailles, Kentucky, home to 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.

Stone’s national leadership extends well beyond Frontier. She 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.

Now serving as president emerita and Distinguished Chair of Midwifery and Nursing at Frontier, Stone continues to advance midwifery and nursing practice nationally and internationally. 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.


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