Lisa Kiser is a certified nurse-midwife, women’s health nurse practitioner, and faculty member at the University of Arizona for over fourteen years. She was born and raised in Tucson, AZ, and is deeply rooted in the land and her community. Her areas of focus are health equity, access to care, trauma-informed care, midwifery, and women’s health. My role in this project was to serve as the lead coordinator of the binational trips. We travelled to Hermosillo in February 2025, Guaymas in March 2025, and then hosted Guaymas and Hermosillo nursing students and faculty here at the UA in April 2025. Each of these trips was memorable, as we were able to share first-hand our experiences around migration, health, and nursing in both countries, and we deepened our connections and relationships through each exchange. It is critical to keep doing this work. We share the Sonoran Desert, culture, history, and language, and have a much better understanding of our common strengths and challenges when we work together.
Lisa Kiser, DNP, CNM, WHNP
Traveling to Mexico is like travelling to meet the other half of yourself. We have gained so much wisdom and knowledge about nursing, healthcare, and wellness by partnering with UNISON Hermosillo and with IIESS in Guaymas. Most important, we have built relationships of trust and mutual respect that have enabled us to develop deeply meaningful learning experiences for our students, faculty, and staff. We truly look forward to our continued work and partnerships.
