June 13, 2003 - Cranbury Press: Colombia RPCV Jeffrey Cyrus Merrill dies of cancer

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Colombia: Peace Corps Colombia : The Peace Corps in Colombia: June 13, 2003 - Cranbury Press: Colombia RPCV Jeffrey Cyrus Merrill dies of cancer

By Admin1 (admin) on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 1:03 pm: Edit Post

Colombia RPCV Jeffrey Cyrus Merrill dies of cancer





Read and comment on this obituary from the Cranbury Press of Colombia RPCV Jeffrey Cyrus Merrill who died of cancer. Mr. Merrill was a former Peace Corps worker in Colombia, South America. He spoke fluent Spanish and retained a deep interest in Latin America, which is partly how he formed a relationship with Dr. Javier Escabar, the chairman of the psychiatry department at RWJ. "He was always very creative and very, very helpful to both young an old faculty members here," the Colombia native said, "Jeff developed some international connections in Latin America before died. He was very fond of Latin America." Before he died, he was working with representatives from a number of South American countries and international organizations to improve health services research as it relates to substance abuse policy in the Western Hemisphere. "I would've like to see him work another 10 to 15 years on these issues," said James Knickman of the RWJ Foundation. "I visited him weeks ago, and he wasn't talking about his illness but about those things." Read the obituary at:

Cranbury mourns death of an important resident.*

* This link was active on the date it was posted. PCOL is not responsible for broken links which may have changed.



Cranbury mourns death of an important resident.

The work of former Cranbury resident Jeffrey Cyrus Merrill will live on in his friends' fond memories and the trail of achievements he left behind. Those closest to Mr. Merill said he used his intuition and brilliance when working to improve the health of people worldwide.

Mr. Merrill, 59, died June 6 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York City after a bout with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Cranbury Committeewoman Becky Beauregard; two sons, Nicholas and Jonathan Merrill; and two nieces, Pamela Barz of Londonberry, N.H., and Jennifer Barz-Snell of Salem, Mass.

A veteran in the health-care industry both on the federal level and in the private sector, Mr. Merrill earned the respect of his peers with his appetite for knowledge and use of that information to improve U.S. health care.

"He was unbelievably bright," 25-year friend and former colleague Sheila Burke said. "He was unstinting in his interest and desire to solve some of our nation's most challenging problems."

Ms. Burke is currently the undersecretary at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. She met Mr. Merrill when they both worked in Washington.

Formerly a senior health policy analyst at the American Public Health Association, Mr. Merrill was the principal health economist for the U.S. Congressional Budget Office and director of the Office of Legislation and Policy for U.S. Health Care Financing Administration during the Carter administration in the 1970s.

During the 1980s, Mr. Merrill served as the director of the Center for Health Policy Studies at the Georgetown University School of Medicine and as a vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

"I first got to know Jeff when he started working here in the summer of '84," said Peter Goodwin, treasurer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in Plainsboro. "We were partnered in many projects at the foundation, and he was very passionate about helping people. He was insightful about the ways to go about helping them. He just really sort of loved life."

Mr. Merrill was the author of articles, papers and a book published in 1994 titled, "The Road to Health Care Reform: Designing a System That Works."

Alan Cohen, a professor of health policy and management and executive director of the Health Policy Institute at Boston University, collaborated on some articles with Mr. Merrill.

"As a person he was warm, caring and had an incredibly wry and wonderful sense of humor," Mr. Cohen said. "My collaboration on the article about the rationing of health care that earned an award in '87-'88 was one of the most successful I've had with anyone. Jeff left an imprint on the foundation and health care in general across the country."

John Chambers, a history professor, accomplished author and Cranbury neighbor of Mr. Merrill, remembered a colorful man with a strong character.

"Jeff Merrill was a true Renaissance man with an extraordinary range of interests and knowledge," Mr. Chambers said. "He could discuss with equal insight the latest developments in Washington, an obscure French film from the 1930s, or the fine points of an Italian wine."



Caption: Mr. Merrill was a former Peace Corps worker in Colombia, South America. He spoke fluent Spanish and retained a deep interest in Latin America,

Mr. Merrill was also a former Peace Corps worker in Colombia, South America. He spoke fluent Spanish and retained a deep interest in Latin America, which is partly how he formed a relationship with Dr. Javier Escabar, the chairman of the psychiatry department at RWJ.

"He was always very creative and very, very helpful to both young an old faculty members here," the Colombia native said, "Jeff developed some international connections in Latin America before died. He was very fond of Latin America."

Before he died, he was working with representatives from a number of South American countries and international organizations to improve health services research as it relates to substance abuse policy in the Western Hemisphere.

"I would've like to see him work another 10 to 15 years on these issues," said James Knickman of the RWJ Foundation. "I visited him weeks ago, and he wasn't talking about his illness but about those things."

Prior to his death, Mr. Merrill was developing the Pearl-Merrill Institute for Children, which would seek to improve services for children at risk of substance abuse and related behaviors.

Ms. Beauregard said a memorial service is planned for September to allow ample time for family and close friends to attend.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Pearl Merrill Institute for Children, Treasurer Linda Rosen at 165 Wilshire Road, Belle Mead, NJ 08502. Donations can also be made to the Cranbury First Aid Squad in his name at 69 Maplewood Ave., Cranbury, NJ 08512.

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