Melanie Spence is MN-NP student (2027) with extensive primary care experience working with people who are unhoused, use drugs, are uninsured, or have significant mental health needs. Melanie completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Toronto in 2015, and has held many nursing leadership positions, including as nursing lead for Canada’s first COVID-19 isolation shelter, which opened in March 2020. Prior to entering nursing, she earned a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto as a Health Studies Specialist (2008) and contributed to various community-based heath research projects in Toronto and Vancouver, including at the Wellesley Institute.
The principles of health equity and social justice have served as the basis for her clinical practice, research activities, and community advocacy for over 15 years. In 2009, she supported the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users to develop a peer support program to increase access to primary care services. Following extensive collaboration and advocacy to reverse cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program in 2012, Melanie co-founded a campaign in 2015 to advocate for OHIP for all people living in Ontario, regardless of immigration status. In 2017, she joined a grassroots organization of people who use drugs and health workers to support the operation of Ontario’s first overdose prevention site in Moss Park.