Director of Nursing
Whitman-Walker Health
Heather Alt serves as Whitman-Walker Health’s Director of Nursing. She oversees teams that provide health education, coordinate care, and reduce hospital admissions. At WWH, she helped champion the first Rapid Start program in DC, which facilitates a same day start of medication after someone tests positive for HIV. WWH’s Rapid Start model is featured in the CDC’s toolkit for how other health centers can build their own programs. She has a special interest in food equity programs and also serves as a Health Home Director for My Health GPS, a care coordination benefit for Medicaid beneficiaries.
Heather joined Whitman-Walker Health in 2008. Prior to her current role, Heather was the Staff Nurse for Bridge Back, WWH’s former residential substance use treatment program. Her other roles at WWH included Nurse Care Manager; Manager of Medical Adherence Nursing; Senior Manager of Medical Adherence Nursing; and Deputy Director of Nursing.
Heather earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing with a minor in sociology from Pennsylvania State University, where she was a Schreyer Honors College Scholar. She is an HIV/AIDS Certified Registered Nurse (ACRN), Certified in Public Health (CPH), and received a Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research from California Institute of Integral Studies. Heather is an avid cheese enjoyer and woodworker.
