Getting to know Dr. Davies

Dele Davies, M.D., who became UNMC’s new vice chancellor for academic affairs and dean of graduate studies April 1, comes from a family of lawyers.

His dad was a lawyer. He has four siblings who are lawyers.

But he and everyone else always seemed to know he would be a doctor instead.

Dele Davies, M.D.

Connecting with kids

He found his calling as a pediatrician in much the same way.

Dr. Davies was on track to specialize in internal medicine. But, on a rotation:

“When I stepped into that children’s hospital, when I saw the kids, when I saw the interaction between the kids and the physicians, when I saw the atmosphere, I just thought, ‘Wow, this is me.’ ”

Oh, Canada

Dr. Davies was born in Nigeria. He went to Canada, where he graduated from the University of Toronto, to become a doctor. He was in Canada for 23 years, the last nine at Alberta Children’s Hospital at the University of Calgary.

“I was right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains,” Dr. Davies said, “the most beautiful, breathtaking place you can be in the world.”

Weaknesses to strengths

Michigan State recruited him to become the chair of its College of Human Medicine Pediatrics and Human Development Department, which he led for more than nine years.

“When I took on the job I didn’t know much about finances and never really had any formal training in management,” Dr. Davies said. “I felt like I needed more of those skill sets.”

So he earned a master’s degree in Healthcare Management from Harvard. And he enrolled in a year-long academic leadership program.

New beginning

When the opportunity at UNMC came up, he was excited. Now, he was ready to be one of the leaders on a great team ready to make the leap to world-class.

Dr. Davies’ bookshelves are still empty. His family remains in Michigan until the end of the school year.

But he hasn’t been lonely in Omaha.

“I’ve had a lot of invitations. I think everybody in Nebraska goes to ‘nice’ school,” he said.

Back to pediatrics

His new job invigorates him. But once he gets the hang of it, he also wants to get back into the clinic, at least once in a while.

Not to where he’d be missed if he had a meeting. But, hopefully, if when he was there, he’d be a help to his colleagues.

And to the kids.