Biography

Dr. L. Kim Baraona, DNP, APRN, CNM, joined Frontier Nursing University’s Midwifery and Women’s Health faculty in July 2014. She combines over 27 years of midwifery experience with 11 years of teaching. Since joining Frontier she has participated as course coordinator for Advanced Nurse-Midwifery Care, course faculty in Applied Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Women’s Health, and Skills for Women’s Health Care courses. Dr. Baraona has received several awards and recognitions, including: • ACNM Excellence in Teach Award, 2016 and 2017 • Georgia’s March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Award Finalist, 2012, for contributions to the education of registered nurses and advanced practice nurses. • Georgia Nurse-Midwife of the Year Award, 2002, from the American College of Nurse-Midwives Georgia Affiliate, recognizing her advocacy for improving health care access through changing legislative policies to reflect Advanced Practice Nurses’ current scope of practice. • State Award of Excellence, Nurse Practitioner Advocate, 2004, from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Dr. Baraona’s nursing and midwifery career began as a diploma grad in 1975. She was drawn to labor and delivery after the birth of her first daughter, an exhilarating and empowering experience that made her realize the critical importance of labor support. This led her to focus on labor and delivery and women’s health, moving from a nursing role to Certified Nurse-Midwife and finally to her current role teaching the next generation of nurse-midwives. Over the course of her nurse-midwifery career, she has worked in a variety of settings that include HMO, private, and clinic practices, where she has provided full scope nurse-midwifery and in-hospital births. Dr. Baraona began her teaching career in 2010 at Mercer University’s nursing program in Atlanta, Georgia. Here she was responsible for teaching courses for BSN, FNP, and DNP students. She joined Frontier Nursing University in 2014 with the goal of mentoring CNM, FNP, and WHNP students in their journey toward becoming advanced practice nurses. Dr. Baraona’s education includes: • Received registered nurse diploma, Cleveland Metropolitan General Hospital School of Nursing, Cleveland, Ohio, 1975 • MN from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, 1991 • Board certified as a Certified Nurse-Midwife in 1992. • DNP, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, 2011. The focus of her Doctor of Nursing Practice was adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with tobacco use and the implementation of the tobacco cessation guideline. Today she continues to work in this area, integrating substance use, brief intervention, treatment, and referral into nursing curriculums. Outside of Frontier, Dr. Baraona enjoys spending time with her family on the lake and spoiling her three grandchildren. She is an avid gardener and enjoys running, sewing, and trying out new recipes on her willing friends and family.