Nurse practitioners play a critical role on the Penn Lung Transplant team. As expert clinicians, they work closely with other nurse coordinators, pulmonologists, surgeons, therapists, pharmacists, social workers, dietitians and administrative staff to provide care to patients and their families throughout the lung transplantation process.
We are pleased to welcome three new additions to the Penn Lung Transplant nurse practitioner team: Melissa Burke, MSN, CRNP, Donna Chojnowski, MSN, CRNP, and Melissa Johnson, MSN, CRNP. Below, we share informations about their experience and interest in lung transplantation.
Melissa Burke, MSN, CRNP
Melissa Burke brings more than a decade of nursing experience to the Penn Lung Transplant Team. Serving on the multidisciplinary team is part of what Melissa enjoys the most about her current role.
“Part of what makes me love transplant is the team that I have the honor to work with,” Melissa explains. “This team includes nurses, advanced practice providers, pharmacists, social workers, respiratory and physical therapists, physicians, surgeons, nutritionists, and speech and swallow therapists. Communication, multidisciplinary care, and patient advocacy are at the heart of what we do every day.”
In addition to enjoying being part of the multidisciplinary team, caring for patients at one of the busiest lung transplant programs in the country, Melissa also “feels lucky to be at the forefront of lung transplantation which is actually a relatively newer field of transplantation.”
Of course, Melissa notes, working with lung transplant patients is also an ongoing inspiration: “The complexity and accompanying challenges of lung transplant cases keeps me on my toes and I am always in awe of the resilience, determination, and strength of my patients.”
Donna Chojnowksi, MSN, CRNP
While Donna may be new to the Lung Transplant Team, she’s not new to Penn or to transplant. Donna has been serving patients at Penn Medicine for 18 years and her advanced nursing skills have served heart transplant patients since 1991.
That’s a long time to provide care for one patient population, so we asked Donna what first attracted her to transplantation.
“It’s simply extraordinary. The whole process of giving patients with advanced organ disease a second chance is truly extraordinary.” She replied, “No matter how many years I’ve done it, it still amazes me.”
Donna enjoys working with all the specialized clinical staff of the Penn Lung Transplant Team.
“Our patients are very complex and require a multidisciplinary team effort where different experiences and different knowledge bases come together to accomplish our goals and provide excellent care.”
In addition to enjoying working with her Penn Transplant colleagues, she is inspired by another critical component of the Lung Transplant team: The patients.
“It’s inspiring to follow patients through the lung transplant process.” Donna said. “From when they begin the evaluation and start to wait for a transplant and are very sick. To when they are waiting, limited in their capacity. To when you see them transplanted. It’s a slow start and then you see them blossoming… walking without support – it’s great to see them see the new person that they have become because of the lung transplant.”
Melissa Johnson, MSN, CRNP
Melissa Johnson knew from a very young age that she wanted to be in the medical field, and she also knew early on in her nursing career that she was interested in organ donation and transplantation. “I was interested in donation and transplantation because it’s a gift from someone that gives another person a new chance at life – it seemed like, and is, such a great thing,” Melissa recalled.
That interest took her to Gift of Life Donor Program where she served as a procurement transplant coordinator, caring for organ donors for five years, before joining Penn Medicine on the medical intensive care unit in 2014.
Melissa became interested in lung transplantation during a clinical rotation when she was a student in the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.
Following her graduation, Melissa joined the Penn Lung Transplant team in January of this year.“I find that the work of the nurse practitioner with lung transplant program is complex and rewarding – some days are challenging and some days there are great moments and overall I really enjoy it.”
One of the aspects Melissa most enjoys about the nurse practitioner role with the lung transplant team is the time invested working with the patients. “I really enjoy working with patients in the outpatient setting. Developing longer-term relationships with the patients has been rewarding.” When patients are struggling, Melissa encourages them to “continue to look to the future – even though there are hurdles now – try to look for what positives there may be in the moment – and try to keep the end goal in mind.”