Courtney Pladsen, MS, FNP-BC, RN, is a Family Nurse Practitioner who has spent the majority of her career providing medical care and advocating for underserved populations. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Boston College in 2007, she went on to work as a registered nurse in the emergency department. She annually participates in medical services abroad in Central America and the Caribbean and is a fluent Spanish speaker.
Courtney completed her graduate degree from Georgetown University in 2011, where she was part of the Area Health Education Consortium, an organization that trains members to focus on providing holistic care to underserved populations. Upon graduation, she began working as a Family Nurse Practitioner for the Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) Unity Healthcare, where she divided her time between providing medical outreach to the homeless and primary care in the health center. She helped develop and lead the first ever women’s medical respite program in D.C. In addition to direct patient care, she has a deep commitment to advocating for housing and healthcare, with the hope of ending chronic homelessness.
In December of 2017 Courtney successfully defended her Doctoral dissertation, “Effects of an Education Intervention on Implementing a Social Determinants of Health Screening Tool in Primary Care.” This research project has helped Unity Healthcare, a FQHC that serves more than 100,000 patients, screen and address social determinants of health.
After completing her Doctorate, Courtney moved to New England and began working in Portland, Maine to continue to work with the undeserved. She provides medical care to the homeless with the FQHC Greater Portland Health, and partnered with Maine Medical Center to develop and open the first medical respite program in the state of Maine.
Courtney is a member of the American Academy of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), and the Nurse Practitioner Association of Washington, D.C.
