Kayla L. Carr is Professor at Mississippi State University and Director of the state's first prelicensure Master of Science in Nursing program. Inspired by community nurses in South Africa, Dr. Carr secured over $1.7 million to establish 12 school-based health centers (SBHCs) across Mississippi. Combining federal funding with innovative academic-practice partnerships, the SBHCs brought care to over 8,000 children in a state where Medicaid-insured children often go without. In these SBHCs, she established a model of interprofessional education, engaging thousands of nursing and health sciences students over the last decade. Despite a politically challenging environment, Dr. Carr extended primary and mental health care by establishing TEAM Clinic, Mississippi’s first interprofessional practice specifically serving the health needs of LGBTQ adolescents and young adults. Dr. Carr acts as nurse consultant and nurse practitioner for Mississippi’s first Title X telehealth practice, ensuring family planning services for low-income patients across the Deep South. Dr. Carr is currently leveraging her experience in practice and policy by collaborating with international partners to design a pioneering study abroad program on nurse-led care to achieve health equity. Dr. Carr has disseminated her work through numerous publications and invited speaking engagements. Dr. Carr holds a PhD in Nursing, MSN, and BSN from the University of Mississippi.