Jane Davison

A few months ago, Registered Nurse Jane Davison ran into a former heart transplant patient. At the time of the transplant, the patient had two sons and an infant daughter.

Nearly 20 years later, that same patient and her now-grown daughter were walking out of the James W. Aston Ambulatory Care Center when Ms. Davison recognized the transplant recipient. Last seen as an infant, this daughter was now pregnant with her first child.

The patient expressed gratitude to Ms. Davison for her care during the transplant procedure. “Had it not been for receiving a heart transplant those many years ago, she would not have been around to see her own young children grow up, let alone have children of their own,” Ms. Davison says. “And she wouldn’t have seen these things happen either if she wasn’t one of the stellar patients who had always taken the advice of her physicians and nurses.”

Ms. Davison, who works the night shift for the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, still looks after postoperative cardiac surgery patients, including transplant patients. She began her career in medical telemetry at the former St. Paul University Hospital. She’s stayed at UT Southwestern thanks to “good co-workers, an exemplary manager, and excellent cardiac surgeons.” She especially recognizes Nursing Manager Melinda Kimmons, who “has done lots to support us as nurses and the unit during her tenure.”

When she’s not working, Ms. Davison enjoys spending time with her pets and traveling, especially on cruises and watercraft. She has two adult daughters, Heather and Rebecca, who were both born at St. Paul University Hospital. Her older daughter has a daughter, 7, and a son, 5. Ms. Davison’s pet family includes a dog, Marlowe, and a cat, known as Cat Stevens.