Fatuma Hassen, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC

Drawn to women’s health: "I became a nurse in 2013 and a nurse practitioner in 2018. My career has taken me through so many different areas—from mental health hospitals and the neuro ICU to family medicine, house calls, nursing homes, aesthetics, women’s health, and telehealth psychiatry. I’m grateful for that variety because it taught me very early that you can’t separate a person’s physical health from their mental and emotional well-being."

Listening first, always: "One woman that I treated in particular has always stayed with me. She came to me feeling like she was losing herself. She wasn’t sleeping, her anxiety felt overwhelming, her mood had changed, and she was struggling to keep up with work and be present with her family. She was scared because she didn’t recognize herself anymore. She’d been told it was stress and that she simply had too much on her plate, but when I sat with her and really listened to her story, it became clear that there was more going on. We began looking at the whole picture and recognized that perimenopause was contributing to what she was experiencing. We created a plan that supported both her physical and mental health. When she came back, I could immediately see the difference in her. She felt more present with her family, more capable at work, and, most importantly, more like herself."

Treating the whole person: "Sometimes a woman doesn’t need someone to tell her she just needs to push through, she needs someone to slow down, listen, and believe her when she says something has changed. That’s really the heart of my care philosophy. I want to see the whole woman—her physical health, hormones, mental health, relationships, responsibilities, and what matters to her personally. I want my patients to leave feeling heard and understood, but also hopeful, informed, and confident that we have a plan to help them move forward."