In Memoriam: Lisa Peck Jeran, BSN, RN, CPAN
ASPAN President, 1997–1998

ASPAN mourns the passing of Lisa Peck Jeran, BSN, RN, CPAN, past President of the American Society of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (1997–1998). Lisa was a visionary leader and fierce advocate for change. A past president and ASPAN Director for the Maine Association of PeriAnesthesia Nurses (MESPANAPAN), Lisa set the standard for ASPAN’s current governance structure as well as the society’s role as the primary source of evidence-based standards and guidelines for our specialty during her tenure as ASPAN president. 

Lisa possessed a true pioneering spirit. During her tenure as ASPAN President, Lisa shepherded the organization through the final transition from a large, 53 member Board of Directors to the governance structure that we have today with 13 Board of Director members,  and the Representative Assembly composed of two members of each component as well as Standing Committee Chairs. The goal of the new structure was to position ASPAN to be nimble and responsive as the specialty was rapidly expanding in scope and complexity. She oversaw the completion of policy and procedures to support the new transformation and implemented the current single-dues structure, streamlining processes across the national and component levels. The 1995 Standards of Perianesthesia Nursing Practice were also revised during Lisa’s tenure, as well as the competency based orientation credentialing program. 

Lisa also recognized that elevating our specialty required a relentless commitment to intellectual rigor in the form of evidence-based practice. Among Lisa’s most enduring legacies is her instrumental role in the development of standardized nursing protocols for temperature management and the prevention of unplanned perioperative hypothermia across the surgical continuum. As lead author of the landmark 2001 ASPAN Clinical Guideline for the Prevention of Unplanned Perioperative Hypothermia,¹ Lisa facilitated the creation of a lasting foundation for modern perioperative normothermia practice. Her work transformed temperature management from a reactive measure in the PACU to a proactive, continuum-of-care mandate spanning the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative environments, a practice that remains a standard of care 25 years after this sentinel publication.

This clinical framework Lisa helped spearhead was adopted by the National Guideline Clearinghouse and gained cross-specialty endorsement from the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), and the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA). Through this work, Lisa directly contributed to lowering surgical site infection rates, reducing cardiac complications, and improving outcomes for millions of surgical patients. This work set the stage for ASPAN’s future leadership in the development of the first guideline for the prevention and management of postoperative nausea and vomiting,² as well as the second edition of the hypothermia guideline.³ The work of establishing and maintaining evidence-based standards and guidelines remains as ASPAN’s guiding practice framework, and frequently encompasses collaborative work with our interdisciplinary partners on a global scale. 

On a personal level, Lisa met the love of her life as she represented ASPAN as President. Brian Jeran was working with the American Board of PeriAnesthesia Nursing Certification (ABPANC) as an expert in certification testing. They met at a conference in Miami and the rest is history. After she and Brian married, Lisa moved from Maine to New York where they happily reared two children, Katie and Jake.

Lisa Peck Jeran possessed a refined elegance, a quiet determination, and a willingness to sacrifice long hours in service of the bedside nurse, ensuring that perianesthesia care was recognized not merely as a transitional space, but as an essential, high-acuity discipline, the practice of which should be anchored in scientific evidence. Lisa left an indelible mark on ASPAN and on the thousands of nurses who follow the clinical standards she helped develop. As we honor her memory, we celebrate a leader whose grit elevated our professional identity and whose lasting legacy continues to protect and heal our patients every single day.

After learning of Lisa’s passing, ASPAN’s Past Presidents came together in a generous show of support, raising $1,250 for Hail, Honor, Salute! Their generosity reflects the compassion and commitment that continue to define the ASPAN community.

Submitted by: Vallire Hooper, PhD, RN, CPAN, FASPAN, FAAN and Jan Odom-Forren, PhD, RN, CPAN, FASPAN, FAAN

References

1. ASPAN. Clinical guideline for the prevention of unplanned perioperative hypothermia. J Perianesth Nurs. 2001;16(5):305-314. https://doi.org/10.1053/jpan.2001.28060
2. ASPAN. ASPAN’S Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for the Prevention and/or Management of PONV/PDNV. J Perianesth Nurs. 2006;21(4):230-250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jopan.2006.06.003
3. Hooper VD, Chard R, Clifford T, et al. ASPAN’s Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for the Promotion of Perioperative Normothermia: Second Edition. J Perianesth Nurs. 2010;25(6):346-365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jopan.2010.10.006