Peter van Dyck

Dr. Peter Cuyler van Dyck, B.A., M.S., M.D., M.P.H.

Our beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather, Dr. Peter Cuyler van Dyck, B.A., M.S., M.D., M.P.H., passed away on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at the age of 84 from complications of Parkinson's. The oldest of three children, Peter was born on December 9, 1939, in Peoria, Illinois to William Cuyler and Irma Marguerite van Dyck.

A graduate of Washington Community High School in Washington, IL, Peter went on to receive a B.A. in Physiology from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He received both his M.S. Physiology and his M.D. from the University of Illinois Medical Center, Chicago, IL and went on to earn his M.P.H., Maternal and Child Health, from the University of California, Berkeley, CA, 1972-1973.

Prior to receiving his M.P.H., Major Peter van Dyck, a proud veteran of the United States Army, served as Chief of Pediatrics, Frankfurt Health Clinic, and as Primary Nursery Physician, 97th General Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany, U.S. Army, 1969-1972, and was honorably discharged. After obtaining his M.P.H., he was a Pediatric Consultant, International Red Cross, Amman, Jordan, Fall 1973.

He then went on to serve as Director, Maternal and Child Health, Utah State Division of Health from 1973-1974, and then was appointed the Director, Family Health Services, Utah Department of Health, 1974-1992. Under his leadership, Utah adopted an array of innovations that improved access to care for mothers and babies.

Dr. Peter van Dyck served in the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) beginning in 1992 and culminating as the Associate Administrator for Maternal and Child Health from 1998-2011. During that time, he developed and implemented the first performance measurement system for the federal Title V MCH Block Grant to States program, served as Executive Secretary, Secretary's Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality, led MCH programs with his accomplished staff such as Children with Special Health Care Needs, Healthy Start, Emergency Medical Services for Children, Traumatic Brain Injury, Abstinence Education, Special Projects of Regional and National Significance (SPRANS), and others.

He held many Academic Appointments, including Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL, 1968-1969 and Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, 1976-1993. His more than 50 professional publications were written with a remarkable array of collaborators and have generated over 4,000 citations.

Peter sought to improve the systems of care for maternal and child health, both nationally and internationally, as well as to create more effective and innovative strategies for financing that care. He earned many awards and recognitions during his esteemed career, including Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics; Outstanding Young Professional in the Nation, Ross Award, American Public Health Association, MCH Section (1977); Arthur S. Flemming Award (1998); Secretary's Award for Distinguished Service, HHS, (1998); and the Martha May Eliot Award (2011). He also won eight separate awards for the Utah "Baby Your Baby" campaign, 1987-1992, of which he was especially proud. He was held in utmost respect by the maternal and child health field for his balanced and calm approach to raising issues, solving problems, and improving programs.

Despite his dedication to his work, Peter was first and foremost a father to his three children, Greg van Dyck (Analia), Greta van Dyck Weiler (Patrick), and Jonathan van Dyck, and a devoted husband to his beloved wife, Kerry Nesseler.

Endlessly talented and curious, Peter was accomplished in so many things. He was a skilled photographer and silk screen printer, selling his art at the Salt Lake City and Park City Arts Festivals. He ran marathons, held a black belt in Aikido, was certified in scuba diving, and trekked through the mountains of Nepal and Bhutan. He spent weekends hiking and skiing with his family and loved to cook gourmet dinners and fancy desserts in the evenings-most were hits, some were not, but he always added a fanned strawberry or a sprig of parsley to every plate. He played guitar and banjo and often strummed and sang for his kids. When his children were young, family home movie nights were a favorite Sunday evening activity, especially when he would cue up "the one where they all ate hamburgers" in reverse. Much to his family's dismay, however, he was also fond of opera. La Traviata and Carmen were his favorites. The volume was loud, and he often sang along. He sent Christmas advent calendars to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren every year, and he was a handyman extraordinaire. He could fix anything and everything, whether physical, emotional, or paraphernalia.

He is preceded in death by his parents and his younger brother, David E. van Dyck. He is survived by his wife Kerry Nesseler, his three children Greg, Greta, and Jonathan, their mother Karen van Dyck, his sister Susan van Dyck, his sister-in-law Connie van Dyck, and Kerry's children, Kate Nesseler Schwoyer (Dave), Shea Nesseler (Caitlin), Kelly Nesseler Kerr (Jonathan), and Connor Nesseler (Camille), his grandchildren Cuyler and Marisa van Dyck, Grady and Peter Weiler (Lenora), and Beckett van Dyck. He was also a proud great-grandfather to Enzo, Oscar, Layne, and Caleb.

Words cannot express how deeply we love him and will sorely miss him. He was a mountain of a man. He is our hero.

A Celebration of Life will be held in January 2025, followed by an interment at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC. Specific places and dates to be announced.