Cara A. Busenhart’s contributions to policy, education, practice, and workforce development have improved access and care quality across Kansas, with significant impact on underserved communities. She serves as Program Director for Nurse-Midwifery Education at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, where she and her program have been recognized for the high-quality education of nurse-midwives. Dr. Busenhart is also the Project Director for several HRSA-funded workforce development projects for advanced practice in rural and urban underserved communities, where she has combined innovation and evidence-based teaching to build a highly educated nursing workforce ready to practice to the depth and breadth of their education and training. She is a state-wide leader for midwifery and advanced practice statutory, regulatory, and policy work, ensuring not only high standards for practice but also for safe and effective care and she was integral to Kansas APRNs achieving full practice authority in 2022. Building academic-practice partnerships with a focus on interprofessional, collaborative care has allowed her to have significant impact for nurse-midwifery and Kansas. Dr. Busenhart received her BSN from Truman State University, her MSN from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and her graduate certificate in Midwifery and PhD from the University of Kansas.