Feature Article: July 2020 – In Memoriam: Jeanette M. Dunn, R.N., Ed.D., CNS

Jeff Morris

Jeanette M. Dunn passed away peacefully on July 12, 2020, at UW Medical Center Northgate after not waking from hip replacement surgery.

Jeanette was Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Care Management from 1995 to 2018. She played an important part in the growth of Age Management Medicine Group, guiding and facilitating the accreditation of AMMG conferences for many years.

“Jeanette, through the Foundation for Care Management, was AMMG’s original provider of continuing education,” said Greg Fillmore, Director of Education and Co-Founder of AMMG. “Dr. Dunn was tough as nails, and also insistent and diligent that we maintain academic excellence.  When AMMG began our Certification In Age Management Medicine, she was instrumental in the development of the program and wrote the original examination.” Fillmore continued, “We maintained a long friendship with Jeanette for nearly 20 years. Her presence in our industry is felt even today.”

In a joint statement, the Board of Directors of Foundation for Care Management—Dana Burnett, Ken Mayer, Neil Rouzier, M.D., and George Gey, M.D.—said, “She was a brilliant educator so passionate about healthcare education that would transform patient lives. She was an incredible mentor and will be missed by us all.”

Mary Corry, RN, who is now a member of AMMG’s Planning Committee and works with Dana Burnett, said, “It was at my first AMMG Conference in Las Vegas, that I met Jeanette Dunn and we became friends.  She was instrumental in encouraging me to get my certification in Age Management Medicine from AMMG and to also help with the AMMG Planning Committee. It took a while before I joined the Planning Committee, but it was her encouragement that helped me.” Corry added, “Jeanette’s love for teaching nurses is what I remember most fondly about her.  She loved to see her students succeed.  I know that Dana Burnett and I both will miss her, as she was a great mentor to both of us.”

Jeanette made numerous contributions in the medical field with teaching and consulting in various colleges and universities around the world. She was an educator, consultant, medical publisher, international lecturer and nurse entrepreneur, who authored and published nutrition books and research monographs. Jeanette had 30 years’ experience in medical education, lectured in 22 countries, and set up nursing schools in six countries.

Jeanette was Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for Care Management in Vashoon, Washington; Former Associate Dean of Nursing at the University of Tennessee; Editorial Board Member for the Journal of the American Nutraceutical Association; and a Board member of the Ovarian Cancer Care Management Foundation. Other national associations with which she was involved include President, Associated Medical Publishing Inc. (AMP); Care Management Products (CMP); D&H Health Care Corporation; and National Directory of AIDS Care, which published four editions.

She traveled the world more than once, lived half the year in Mazatlán, Mexico and spent the other half on Vashon Island. She loved boating, golfing, dancing and spending time with her family. She was a free spirit who made friends wherever she went.

Jeanette Dunn was born in Fort Madison, Iowa, the daughter of Herbert and Catherine Poepsel. Jeanette graduated from Catholic Central High School, Fort Madison, Iowa. She attended Saint Ambrose College Division of Nursing Davenport, Iowa, earned a Doctorate of Education at University of Northern Colorado, Master of Science Degree with honors at University of Colorado Denver, Bachelor of Science Degree with honors University of Colorado Boulder, Post-Doctoral Study seminar and internship in Federal Relations Washington D.C. 

She is survived by her first husband George H. Dunn Jr., Albuquerque, New Mexico; current husband George Gey, MD, Vashon Island, Washington and children; Steve Dunn, (Debbie) Kirkland, Washington; Cheri Dzielak, (Bob) Highlands Ranch, Colorado; and John Dunn, Denver, Colorado. 

Grandchildren Brandon Dunn (Marissa), Spokane, Washington and Ashley Dunn, Kirkland, Washington. Three great grandchildren Carsten, Claire, and Camden Dunn, Spokane, Washington.

Jeanette is predeceased by brothers, Donald and Howard Poepsel and sister, Geraldine Dinwiddie. 

There will be no funeral service, just a private gathering for the family. Donations can be made in Jeanette’s name to The Dove Project on Vashon Island https://vashondoveproject.square.site/#oaMARH or The Worldwide Fistula Fund http://www.worldwidefistulafund.org/