Melanie Whitehead

Melanie Whitehead serves as a certified school nurse in the Philadelphia school district at a K-8 school in North Philadelphia. In this role, she manages public health responsibilities including immunizations, annual physical and dental documentation, and screenings for height, weight, hearing, vision, and scoliosis, while emphasizing preventive care and student safety. Her professional path began with a psychology degree from Messiah College, followed by an accelerated nursing program from which she graduated in 2007. She gained experience in a neonatal intensive care unit at Jefferson for three and a half years, then spent seven years at Drexel University in skills and simulation labs. Subsequent positions included virtual clinical education for multiple sclerosis patients and work at the Renfrew Center for eating disorders. She completed school nurse certification classes at Eastern University and has training from massage therapy school. Whitehead has also volunteered with HopeWorks in Camden supporting literacy programs and Pathways to Housing using a harm reduction model.