Bentonville, Ark. – Heartland Forward is pleased to announce the appointment of Cara Osborne as its new senior fellow. Osborne brings a wealth of experience and expertise in health and wellness, entrepreneurship and public health, making her an invaluable addition to the work of Heartland Forward.
Osborne holds a master’s in nursing from Vanderbilt University and a master’s and doctorate in public health from the Harvard School of Public Health. With a distinguished career as a nurse midwife, clinician, nursing professor, and perinatal epidemiology researcher, she has made significant contributions to the field of maternal health.
In addition to her clinical and academic achievements, Osborne has a proven track record in entrepreneurship. She owned and operated a successful health services business, which she sold to the Partners Fund at Fortress Investment Group in 2013. For the past three years, she has served as a professor of practice in entrepreneurship at the University of Arkansas Sam M. Walton College of Business, where she has been instrumental in starting businesses and advising start-ups.
Osborne’s entrepreneurial spirit extends beyond academia. She is a technical advisor to Diana Health, a venture-backed comprehensive maternity care solution based in New York. She is also the founder of Blaize and Brooks Bourbon, managing partner at Native Spirit Holdings and a maternal health subject matter expert for Ingeborg Initiatives.
As a senior fellow at Heartland Forward, Osborne will focus on strategy surrounding our health and wellness pillar. Her extensive background in public health, combined with her entrepreneurial acumen, will be critical in advancing Heartland Forward’s mission to drive economic growth and improve health outcomes in the heartland.
“We are thrilled to welcome Cara to our team,” said Heartland Forward CEO and President Ross DeVol. “Her diverse experience and deep understanding of both health and business will help us develop innovative strategies to address the unique challenges faced by communities in the middle of the country.”
Contact: Blake Woolsey, bwoolsey@hearltandforward.org, 479-957-6301
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About Heartland Forward
Heartland Forward is a policy think and do tank dedicated to being a resource for states and local communities in the middle of the country. We do this by studying broad economic trends and building data-driven and community-tested partnerships, programs and policies to address the needs of the heartland – all while helping to change the narrative about the middle of the country and kick-starting economic growth.