Brian Wayson, ARNP, has dedicated nearly 40 years to the field of pulmonary medicine, starting his career as a nurse caring for individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). In 1988, he joined University of Iowa Health Care, working alongside Douglas Hornick, MD (now a Clinical Professor and Director of Pulmonary Patient Care programs) in the inpatient pulmonary unit, C-34. At that time, CF treatment was still emerging, and adult CF programs were scarce due to lower life expectancies for CF patients.

“I remember my first CF patient,” Wayson said. “I remember her name. She was selling stuff for school, and I bought something. She’s long gone now, but the item is pushing 40 years old, and I still have it.”

In contacting Wayson’s colleagues to learn more about him, a few consistent themes emerged, one of which was his knack for taking on greater amounts of responsibility and balancing it with already existing roles. Here are a few quoted to us:

• He is the Director of the Respiratory Specialty and Comprehensive Care Unit (RSCCU)
• He runs the APP service of the RSCCU
• He is the Program Coordinator of the Adult CF Center
• He is the medical provider, social worker, scheduler, and prescriber for patients and families that are or have ever been in the RSCCU
• He organized the CF Midwest research meetings in Iowa City
• He is a friend of everyone that works at the RSCCU

Wayson’s career trajectory saw him transition from a staff nurse to an assistant nurse manager, eventually becoming a nurse practitioner. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Intermediate Pulmonary Care Unit, designed to accommodate the evolving needs of CF and increasingly complex pulmonary patients. Wayson’s dedication to patient care and his admiration for colleagues like Greg Schmidt, MD, have been driving forces in his career.

“If you want to go see the guy who wrote the book on critical care medicine, he is right over there,” Wayson said, pointing toward Schmidt’s office.

Last fall, the Iowa Cystic Fibrosis Foundation recognized Wayson’s outstanding service by honoring him for his contributions to CF patient care and his role as UI Health Care’s Adult CF Care Center Coordinator.

“They are a big fundraiser for us,” he said, referring to the Iowa Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “The money they’ve helped us raise has actually made a difference because it’s paid for some of the research on modulators and other medicine for patients.”

Pulmonary division director David Stoltz, MD, PhD, lauded Wayson’s unwavering commitment to his patients and to the pulmonary division. Stoltz said of the award, “Brian’s dedication to individuals with CF and their families is amazing. This is an extremely well-deserved honor and recognition.”

In fact, everyone who has worked with Wayson has only good things to say about him. Hornick, who is among several UI Health Care clinicians who have worked closely with Wayson over the years, said, “A long time ago, I was a Boy Scout, but I never met anyone who fulfilled all twelve attributes of the Boy Scout Law until I worked with Brian. He is a wise and extraordinarily resourceful front-line clinician—and current Scout leader—who has taught me and the patients with whom he works countless things. When he is striving to make patients better and complete projects, he displays those attributes of the Boy Scout: Brian is naturally reliable, trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.”

Leah Colsch, LMSW, a social worker for UI Health Care, often works with patients under Wayson’s care.

“Brian’s dedication to CF transcends beyond the unit or clinic room,” Colsch said. “He can often be seen answering patient’s medical questions through MyChart or on the phone with insurance companies or DMEs at most hours of the day. Brian’s care for our patients—often serving as the first point of contact for many of our patients—goes a long way in alleviating our patients’ stressors and time. In a community with a chronic illness, having that point of contact with your medical team is vital, and I believe our patients and families find comfort in having Brian as that person.”

And yet, Wayson credits the longevity of the medical staff, including nurse practitioners, fellows, and consults, to the strong teamwork in his unit. Annual traditions like the unit’s cookie party foster a supportive work environment, while the continuity of staff reflects the unit’s collaborative spirit.

Among many offered names, Wayson mentions his admiration for former division director Joseph Zabner, MD, PhD, and his research, primarily because he looks at things differently from other researchers. “I remember when Dr. Zabner was a fellow,” Wayson said. “We had a good time . . . . In the MICU it’s a lot of back and forth between nurse practitioners and fellows.”

Zabner offers the praise right back: “Brian is a hero.”

Colleagues such as Hornick and Zabner offer glowing testimonials about Wayson’s leadership and dedication to patient care. Zabner highlights Wayson’s role in shaping the Respiratory Specialty and Comprehensive Care Unit (RSCCU) and praises his qualities as a clinician and leader. He sent extensive remarks:

I have known Brian since I arrived at the University of Iowa 33 years ago. At that point, he was a nurse in the pulmonary ward – C34 General Hospital – and I was a pulmonary fellow. As time went by C34 was closed, and the intermediate pulmonary care unit (IPCU) was opened in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit Bay 4. Only 6 beds, and it was mostly for chronic ventilated patients. I remember Brian as a reliable, knowledgeable nurse, that always fought for what would be the best for his patients.

Brian continued to excel as a nurse, as he expanded his training eventually to become a nurse practitioner (ARNP). He is a true leader of his tribe, and his tribe is the pulmonary patients, the nurses, the doctors and all the people that work in the Unit.

When I became the Pulmonary Division Director, I negotiated to open a pulmonary floor on the seventh floor of JCP. I consulted with Brian on every step. No carpets, private rooms, space for nurses, and even the name of the Unit, Respiratory Specialty and Comprehensive Care Unit (RSCCU). Brian brought the up the fact that it would spell ‘rescue.’

Brian has the knowledge, capacity, intelligence, honesty, and work ethic that would be sufficient to become the CEO of UIHC. We, and in particular the CF and Lung Transplant Patients, are lucky that he has a long-term commitment to Pulmonary.

I am grateful to have worked with for Brian. I would recommend anyone in a leadership position at UI Health Care to meet with Brian and listen.

Wayson’s passion for pulmonary medicine stems from his belief that it offers “low-speed critical care.” He cherishes the long-term relationships he builds with patients and finds fulfillment in seeing them grow and improve over time.

“Our patients, we don’t just fix them and they go on with their lives – they need to come back [for ongoing treatment]. They learn who you are, they tell you things, and it’s good to now see them grow up and get better,” Wayson said.