COLUMBUS, Miss.-- Jo-Ann McCullar Vandergriff’s nursing tapestry stretches across the world.
In a 50-year career that spans six states in the United States and two countries, the Water Valley native considers her time at Mississippi University for Women as part of the journey that has impacted countless patients and families.
The W recognized Jo-Ann’s service in the nursing field with an honorary doctorate during the university’s Summer Commencement ceremonies in Rent Auditorium, Whitfield Hall.
“It is a great honor for me to award the honorary doctorate to Dr. Vandergriff, recognizing her extraordinary achievement in meeting the healthcare needs in Mississippi and beyond,” The W President Nora Miller said. “With generous gifts from Jo-Ann and her husband, Bill, we were able to build the Simulation Learning Lab that bears their name and enhances our nursing students’ skills and experience. The Vandergriffs nursing scholarships and Simulation Learning Lab will continue to impact healthcare in Mississippi for years to come.”
Jo-Ann grew up in Southaven and graduated from Horn Lake High School. She started her career in nursing in 1972 when she graduated from the Tennessee vocational program as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). At the same time, Bill graduated from the University of Tennessee and received a commission to the United States Army. Bill was stationed in Wiesbaden, Germany, and Jo-Ann worked at the 97th General Hospital in Frankfort in the Medical Records Department. She feels the experience of working in medical records was invaluable to her future nursing career.
After returning to the United States, Jo-Ann attended the University of Mississippi and earned a BSN degree in 1979. She received a Master of Education degree in 1984 from Memphis State University. Shortly thereafter, Bill and Jo-Ann were hired to work at the Al-Salam Hospital in Yemen Arab Republic, where they lived and worked with people from more than 20 countries. Several conditions were treated that are rarely seen in the United States, including rabies, tetany, diphtheria and parasitic diseases.
The Vandergriffs returned to Mississippi in 1987, and in 1989 Jo-Ann was accepted in the Master of Nursing Program at The W. After graduating in 1990, she opened a health clinic in Crenshaw, a small town in Panola County. In 1992, the Mississippi Board of Nursing changed the rules and regulations regarding nurse practitioner practice, which motivated her to start a search for a state that allowed nurse practitioners to practice to their full capacity.
The Vandergriffs left Mississippi in 1992 and headed for Utah and then made their way to New Mexico when that state passed legislation allowing nurse practitioners full practice authority with no physician supervision. JoAnn enjoyed 25 years of NP practice in New Mexico while Bill built a successful self-storage business.
Around 2015, Jo-Ann and Bill wanted to start an organized program of donations and giving. She said the obvious first recipients were their alma maters, and The W made the process easy.
Jo-Ann said she tries to visit her family and friends in Mississippi several times each year. Jo-Ann has three sisters who live in Water Valley, Oxford and Batesville, and they are known for their “sister trips.”
Jo-Ann also said she returns to The W at least once a year for the Donor Appreciation Luncheon, which gives her a chance to visit with the nursing students and to see the progress at the School of Nursing.
“The practice of nursing and medicine has evolved in my 50-year career,” Vandergriff said. “This evolution and growth in medicine has kept me interested, engaged and always eager to learn new technology and new techniques to continue to provide quality care.”
Jo-Ann admits nursing is a demanding profession but said it has been highly rewarding. She said nurses sometimes give their brains, heart and soul to care for other people, but that work has kept her motivated and engaged wherever she has lived. She hopes new graduates can find a place that is right for them and that they can do work that makes them sing.
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July 29, 2022
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