Health & Wellness
NMH provides integrated health care to care for your mind, body, and spirit.
At Northfield Mount Hermon, caring for your physical and emotional health is a top priority. From medical and counseling services to wellness education inside and out of the classroom to opportunities for students to support their peers’ well-being, we offer a holistic approach that cares for each student as an individual.
The professionals at our O’Connor Health and Wellness Center include a medical doctor, a nurse practitioner, and a team of nurses. The center’s co-directors offer expertise in clinical medicine and counseling services to provide holistic treatment for your mind, body, and spirit. NMH also offers a wellness program that helps you make healthy choices throughout your time on campus.
Medical Care
Our O’Connor Health and Wellness Center is staffed by a medical doctor, a nurse practitioner, and a team of nurses who provide around-the-clock care while school is in session. A medical doctor is available for urgent and routine appointments on weekdays and is always on call.
Our medical providers work closely with NMH's certified athletic trainers, who are available to see students with sports-related injuries. We work with Baystate Sports Medicine for more serious injuries.
Counseling Services
The O’Connor Health and Wellness Center is also home to our Counseling Services, which offers both short- and long-term care. Our four independently licensed counselors are on campus Monday through Friday during school hours and on call weeknights and weekends if you need to see someone on an urgent basis.
Whenever you need to talk with someone, our counselors are ready to listen with compassion. You can make an appointment to talk about anything that’s bothering you — large or small — in a safe, confidential, and nonjudgmental environment.
NMH’s Peer Educators are student leaders who are committed to wellness in their own lives and who serve as role models for others. Peer Educators educate themselves about living a healthy lifestyle and making good choices and share what they’ve learned with other students through fun, educational programs. They also work with dorm heads, coaches, and other community members to support health and wellness programs.
Wellness Education
Wellness is about more than getting better when you’re sick — it’s about learning how to make good choices to be proactive in taking care of yourself. That’s why at NMH, we weave in wellness opportunities throughout your experience on campus.
Some of those opportunities are part of the academic curriculum, like our Health and Wellness Seminar for 9th-graders. We also provide informal opportunities for personal reflection, such as our meditation space and contemplative garden and labyrinth. Or you might choose to join the Community Sit, where students and faculty gather to practice silent meditation.
Physical Education
Our physical education program is designed to help you develop the skills and habits of wellness and fitness, as well as a love of physical activity, that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.
Every NMH student satisfies an athletics requirement, either by playing a team sport for two terms or by playing a team sport for one term and a completing a PE course and a cocurricular activity during the other two terms. Physical education options include fitness classes, flag football, intramural soccer and Ultimate frisbee, swimming, tennis, running, skiing, yoga, and dance.
The Calagione Fitness Center
Opened in 2021, our Calagione Fitness Center is a bright, 6,000-square-foot space with free weights and cardio equipment available to all students. The modern, comfortable fitness center was made possible by a gift from NMH Board of Trustees Chair Mariah Calagione ’89 and her husband, Sam Calagione ’88, P’20, ’18.
Sara Rourke ’94, P’23, ’25
NMH Director of Medicine
"Coming back to work at NMH seemed a little romantic because the school held such a special place in my heart. It was pivotal for me.
"Now when I work with students, there’s a bond that connects us. They laugh when I tell them stories, like how I got a DP [disciplinary probation] my senior year. Because of that DP, I ended up having a great relationship with the dean, and at the end of the year, she nominated me for an award. That’s how I see NMH: You can mess up and it’s OK; you can learn from a mistake and still be a positive member of the community. It’s nice for kids who are struggling when I can tell a personal story. I can say, 'I was right where you are now. You’re going to get through this.'”