For many students in Montgomery County Public Schools, the School-Based Wellness Center is more than a nurse’s office, it’s their primary source of healthcare.
Operated by CCI Health Services, the centers provide comprehensive primary care in six high schools in Maryland, including students without health insurance. By bringing healthcare into the school setting, students receive the care they need without missing valuable classroom time, while families gain easier access to ongoing medical services.
For Family Nurse Practitioner Neshat Tebyanian, every day is different. As the medical provider assigned to one of these high schools, she treats everything from sprained ankles to chronic disease to reproductive issues. But what students come in for is often only part of the story.
“When you see people who haven’t had access to healthcare, there’s a lot more going on than what brought them in,” Neshat says. “They may come in with leg pain, but you also see obesity, diabetes risk, cardiovascular concerns, things that have gone unaddressed for years. You want to help with all of it.”
The wellness centers serve schools with significant barriers to healthcare access, making the school clinic the most consistent source of care for many students. It’s meaningful work, but it can also be isolating.
Neshat transitioned back into primary care for this role after more than a decade of specializing in allergy and asthma care. Suddenly she found herself managing a wide range of complex conditions on her own.
“I was frequently calling colleagues, who were busy with their own workload,” she said. “I wanted input from someone with years of experience, not just textbook knowledge.”
That changed when she tapped into the MAVEN Project.
Systematic Support, Same-Day Answers
Through MAVEN Project’s specialty consults and mentoring program, Neshat gained immediate access to volunteer specialists and was paired with her mentor, pediatrician Dr. Ronni Goldsmith.
“The difference with MAVEN is that it’s systematic,” Neshat says. “I can submit a consult and, most of the time, have a response by the end of the day. The guidance is documented, so I can go back and use it as a resource later.”
One of her first consults involved a student with symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). While Neshat recognized the likely diagnosis, a MAVEN Project specialist identified signs of insulin resistance and prediabetes that also needed attention. Together, they determined that an expensive pelvic ultrasound wasn’t necessary, sparing an uninsured family from paying for a test that wouldn’t have changed the treatment plan.
“The specialist helped pull the whole picture together,” she said.
Mentorship That Changes How You Practice
Mentorship with Dr. Goldsmith proved just as valuable.
When a teenager presented with bacterial rhinosinusitis accompanied by ear pain, jaw pain, and blurred vision, Neshat faced a difficult decision. Instead of sending the student straight to the emergency department, she reviewed the case with Dr. Goldsmith. Together, they worked through the differential diagnosis and developed a treatment plan that allowed the student to recover safely as an outpatient.
“Reviewing cases with someone who has so much more experience improves the quality of care I provide,” Neshat said.
Beyond individual cases, the mentorship transformed the way Neshat practices medicine.
“Dr. Goldsmith taught me how to organize my thinking so I don’t miss anything,” she said. “She also showed me better ways to communicate with teenagers… and help them understand that I’m on their side.”
A Culture Shift Across the Team
This impact has spread beyond one provider.
“The rest of us (within CCI Health Services) are learning from each other’s consults. It’s changing our culture,” Neshat said. “I was getting close to burnout before MAVEN. Now it feels different because you’re part of a team. You’re not alone.”
For the students who rely on school-based healthcare, that support reaches far beyond the clinician.
Every consult, mentoring conversation, and shared insight helps equip providers with the confidence and expertise to deliver better care, keeping students healthier, in the classroom, and connected to the care they deserve.
