[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 182 (Thursday, November 16, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17178-S17179]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JAN MUIRHEAD

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise today to commend Jan Muirhead, a 
fellow Tennessean and a former colleague, for her continuing dedication 
and commitment to serving others. A cardiovascular clinical nurse 
specialist and coordinator at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center 
Heart and Lung Transplant Program, Jan has devoted countless hours and 
a lifetime of energy to her patients.
  These patients of all ages came to Vanderbilt knowing that their 
future literally depends on the availability of a compatible and 
transplantable heart or lung. They knew if that heart or lung is found, 
they would surely face a difficult operation and a long recovery. But 
they also knew that Jan Muirhead was there with them through every 
step--she has been their nurse, their teacher, their supporter, their 
counselor, and most of all, their friend.
  Mr. President, my friend Jan Muirhead is a native of Memphis, TN. The 
daughter of a prominent pathologist, helping others is in her blood, in 
her heart, and in her soul.
  Jan has been the anchor for the Heart and Lung Transplant Program at 
Vanderbilt since its inception in 1985, but her career in public 
service began years before, in 1975, when she graduated with a bachelor 
of science in nursing from the University of Kentucky. After 
graduation, she worked as a staff nurse in Vanderbilt's neonatal 
intensive care unit and in the surgical intensive care unit. She later 
joined the department of cardiac and thoracic surgery to work with Dr. 
Harvey Bender. In 1983, Jan moved to Seattle to get her master's degree 
in nursing from the University of Washington, where she was awarded the 
CIBA-GEIGY Award for the outstanding cardiovascular nursing pathway 
master's student.
  After completing her degree at the University of Washington, Jan 
Muirhead returned to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she 
and Dr. Walter Merrill established the heart transplant program. I 
joined the program 1 year later, and over the subsequent 8 years had 
the pleasure and the privilege of working daily with Jan. During that 
time, I witnessed first-hand her tireless energy, her commitment to 
others, her enthusiasm for her job, her selfless devotion, and above 
all, the warmth and dedication she showed to the thousands of patients 
whose lives she touched.
  She recently earned certification as an adult nurse practitioner from 
Vanderbilt's school of nursing--yet another sign of her continuing 
commitment to providing the best quality care and the most up-to-date 
advice. In fact, patient education is one of the most important 
services Jan provides for patients at Vanderbilt. When a transplant 
patient is admitted to the medical center, Jan sits down with them, 
discusses their medical condition, explains how donors are matched, and 
provides details of the surgical procedure they will undergo when that 
match is found. She diligently directed the entire postoperative course 
for the transplant patient. The thought of undergoing transplant 
surgery and enduring a tough recovery is very scary, but for years, Jan 
has calmed patients' fears.
  Mr. President, Jan Muirhead has also been honored by her colleagues. 
In 1991, she received the Nursing Research Award in Paris, France, from 
the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. She has 
served as secretary and a member of the board of 

[[Page S 17179]]
the Middle Tennessee chapter of the American Association of Critical 
Care Nurses, and in 1994, Jan was chairman of the abstract review 
committee of the International Society of Heart and Lung 
Transplantation. She is an active member of the American Heart 
Association and the Association of Critical Care Nurses. She is the 
author and principal investigator of numerous articles and chapters on 
heart disease and transplantation.
  Now, Mr. President, my close friend Jan Muirhead leaves Vanderbilt to 
move to Dallas, TX, where she will participate in a Baylor University 
outreach program for geriatric patients. So, today, I would like to 
thank Jan for her outstanding service to her patients and to her 
community. Her pioneering spirit, her unending commitment, and the 
unselfish love she has shown toward her patients and her colleagues 
will be missed at Vanderbilt. I wish her all the best as she embarks on 
this new venture in her life.

                          ____________________