Melissa B. Coughlin
Mass General Brigham (Brigham and Women’s Hospital)
Medfield,MA
1
Certification
26
years of professional experience
Board-Certified Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) with over 25 years of specialized neuroscience experience at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a Harvard-affiliated academic medical center. Expert in complex epilepsy management across outpatient, community, and acute care settings. Highly skilled in high-acuity management, clinical leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration, and delivering evidence-based, patient-centered neurologic care.
Work History
Neurology Epilepsy Certified Nurse Practitioner
1 Year 2 Months- Provide weekly outpatient epilepsy clinical care, effectively extending tertiary academic expertise into a community hospital setting.
- Coordinate directly with tertiary epilepsy centers to facilitate seamless, timely referrals for advanced diagnostics and surgical evaluations.
- Deliver decentralized, highly accessible, patient-centered specialized care to a diverse community population.
Neurology Epilepsy Certified Nurse Practitioner
2 Years 8 Months- Provide comprehensive outpatient (in-person and telehealth) and inpatient epilepsy care within a premier tertiary academic medical center.
- Perform detailed neurologic evaluations to guide, manage, and optimize complex anti-seizure medication regimens.
- Interpret EEG and neuroimaging studies in close collaboration with attending epileptologists.
- Deliver continuous longitudinal care coordination for complex patients and families across the continuum of care.
- Collaborate seamlessly with neurosurgery, neuropsychology, and multidisciplinary teams to formulate individualized treatment plans.
- Serve as an active member of the Epilepsy Surgery Program, contributing to patient-centered surgical evaluations and care planning.
- Counsel patients and families regarding seizure safety, medication adherence, and self-management strategies.
Charge Nurse, Staff Nurse & Clinical Preceptor
22 Years 10 Months- Provided high-acuity nursing care to patients with complex neurological, neurosurgical, and severe seizure conditions within a specialized Neuroscience Intermediate Step-Down Unit.
- Performed frequent, targeted neurologic assessments, monitoring closely for acute changes in mental status, stroke symptoms, and specialized seizure activity.
- Directed shift operations, managed unit resource allocation, and guided clinical workflow as a designated Charge Nurse.
- Mentored, oriented, and trained incoming nursing staff and students as a dedicated Clinical Preceptor.
- Collaborated continuously with neurology, neurosurgery, and critical care teams to build and execute coordinate care plans.
- Recognized and responded rapidly to critical neurological deterioration, initiating life-saving clinical interventions and care escalations.
Education
Master of Science (MS) - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program
Bachelor of Science - Nursing (BSN)
Bachelor of Science - Exercise Science
Skills
Outpatient & Inpatient Epilepsy Management
Neurologic Evaluations & patient centered treatment
Anti-Seizure Medication (ASM) Optimization
Epilepsy Surgery Evaluation & Planning
High-Acuity Intermediate & Step-Down Nursing
Clinical Leadership
Preceptorship & Mentoring
Interdisciplinary Collaboration & Care Coordination
Coordinate clinical care
data analysis
and patient education for RNS and VNS neuromodulation programs
Spearhead epilepsy service line optimization
including workflow and care delivery improvement
Affiliations
American Epilepsy Society (AES) – Member
Certification
- AGACNP-BC: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner – Board Certified
- Seizure and Epilepsy Healthcare Professional Certificate – American Board of Neuroscience Nursing (ABNN)
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) – Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Registered Nurse (RN) – Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Timeline
Neurology Epilepsy Certified Nurse Practitioner
Mass General Brigham (Brigham and Women’s Hospital at South Shore Hospital)
05.2025 - CurrentRead More
Neurology Epilepsy Certified Nurse Practitioner
Mass General Brigham (Brigham and Women’s Hospital)
11.2023 - CurrentRead More
Charge Nurse, Staff Nurse & Clinical Preceptor
Mass General Brigham (Brigham and Women’s Hospital)
01.2001 - 11.2023Read More
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Bachelor of Science from Exercise Science
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University of Massachusetts Boston
Bachelor of Science from Nursing (BSN)
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Regis College
Master of Science (MS) from Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program
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