Jennifer Boisseau is a licensed cosmetologist. She works at a salon on the weekends and does house calls in the evenings. But for three to four days a week, you can find her at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
During her first two years at CHOP, Boisseau worked in Environmental Services, beautifying the space around her. Today her job is to pamper and comfort the people within it, as a member of the Salon Services team.
For every appointment, Boisseau’s goal is to help a child or a parent feel a little more like themselves again. Boisseau sees a wide range of clients — from children with cancer dealing with hair loss to kids recovering from brain surgery to exhausted moms who have been by their baby’s side in the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (NIICU) for weeks on end.
Hair plays such a large role in our identity and how we express who we are. Boisseau understands how sensitive this can be and excels at creating a safe and caring environment where her clients can relax. Boisseau’s services help children and parents feel good about themselves when they look in the mirror, and they can also help her clients feel refreshed and ready to focus on the most important thing — getting healthy.
This is a day in her life.
6:30 a.m. Wakes up, gets herself together and starts cooking.
7 a.m. Chit chats with her son over breakfast before driving him to school.
8 a.m. Returns home to relax in front of the TV. Game shows like “Let's Make a Deal” and “The Price is Right” are her absolute favorites.
11 a.m. Sets out for work, hoping to avoid traffic.
Noon Arrives at CHOP’s Philadelphia Campus, sterilizes her tools and checks for any last-minute changes to the day’s schedule.
A superhero with shampoo
2 p.m. Grabs her equipment from her office and makes her way over to her first appointment of the day.
2:30 p.m. Sets up her portable shampoo bowl, a workaround solution while a dedicated salon space is under construction. Performs a series of hair services for Amelia, 19. Despite her sensitive scalp, Amelia enjoys having her hair washed, blow-dried and styled by Boisseau, who she credits for “the first good and best haircut” she’s ever had.
3:30 p.m. A familiar face on just about every floor, Boisseau is greeted by another patient as they walk by. "I'll see you tomorrow," Boisseau responds.
Rinse and repeat
4 p.m. Keeps her cart (and shampoo bowl) pushing to the next child’s room to see Farrow, 1, who is accompanied by his mom. Taking no chances with Farrow’s health, Boisseau puts a face mask on “for the little ones.” “You ready?” she asks him one last time before starting Farrow’s final appointment with her at CHOP. (After a year of being inpatient, he finally gets to go home!)
After some careful detangling, Boisseau gently knits his hair into stitch braids, more commonly known as corn rows, for “something that will last.”
6 p.m. Returns to her office to write a report, noting any abnormalities she may have found — a critical step that can help detect problems in patients that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Chugging along
7 p.m. Picks up her son, an aspiring train engineer, to go record videos of trains at the regional rail station.
8 p.m. Eats dinner at home with her son and helps him with homework.
10 p.m. Falls asleep to the soothing sounds of rain and thunder on YouTube.
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Jennifer Boisseau is a licensed cosmetologist. She works at a salon on the weekends and does house calls in the evenings. But for three to four days a week, you can find her at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
During her first two years at CHOP, Boisseau worked in Environmental Services, beautifying the space around her. Today her job is to pamper and comfort the people within it, as a member of the Salon Services team.
For every appointment, Boisseau’s goal is to help a child or a parent feel a little more like themselves again. Boisseau sees a wide range of clients — from children with cancer dealing with hair loss to kids recovering from brain surgery to exhausted moms who have been by their baby’s side in the Newborn/Infant Intensive Care Unit (NIICU) for weeks on end.
Hair plays such a large role in our identity and how we express who we are. Boisseau understands how sensitive this can be and excels at creating a safe and caring environment where her clients can relax. Boisseau’s services help children and parents feel good about themselves when they look in the mirror, and they can also help her clients feel refreshed and ready to focus on the most important thing — getting healthy.
This is a day in her life.
6:30 a.m. Wakes up, gets herself together and starts cooking.
7 a.m. Chit chats with her son over breakfast before driving him to school.
8 a.m. Returns home to relax in front of the TV. Game shows like “Let's Make a Deal” and “The Price is Right” are her absolute favorites.
11 a.m. Sets out for work, hoping to avoid traffic.
Noon Arrives at CHOP’s Philadelphia Campus, sterilizes her tools and checks for any last-minute changes to the day’s schedule.
A superhero with shampoo
2 p.m. Grabs her equipment from her office and makes her way over to her first appointment of the day.
2:30 p.m. Sets up her portable shampoo bowl, a workaround solution while a dedicated salon space is under construction. Performs a series of hair services for Amelia, 19. Despite her sensitive scalp, Amelia enjoys having her hair washed, blow-dried and styled by Boisseau, who she credits for “the first good and best haircut” she’s ever had.
3:30 p.m. A familiar face on just about every floor, Boisseau is greeted by another patient as they walk by. "I'll see you tomorrow," Boisseau responds.
Rinse and repeat
4 p.m. Keeps her cart (and shampoo bowl) pushing to the next child’s room to see Farrow, 1, who is accompanied by his mom. Taking no chances with Farrow’s health, Boisseau puts a face mask on “for the little ones.” “You ready?” she asks him one last time before starting Farrow’s final appointment with her at CHOP. (After a year of being inpatient, he finally gets to go home!)
After some careful detangling, Boisseau gently knits his hair into stitch braids, more commonly known as corn rows, for “something that will last.”
6 p.m. Returns to her office to write a report, noting any abnormalities she may have found — a critical step that can help detect problems in patients that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Chugging along
7 p.m. Picks up her son, an aspiring train engineer, to go record videos of trains at the regional rail station.
8 p.m. Eats dinner at home with her son and helps him with homework.
10 p.m. Falls asleep to the soothing sounds of rain and thunder on YouTube.
Beyond Aesthetics
CHOP cosmetologists offer hair services that extend beyond aesthetic purposes.
They collaborate with care teams to provide protective styling, allowing for essential scalp assessments to be conducted at the bedside. These assessments are crucial for identifying scalp issues such as masses and pressure wounds.
Additionally, CHOP cosmetologists educate bedside care teams about proper hair care, knot management and product usage. They also provide caregivers with home care suggestions following neurosurgery or hair loss.
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