Obituary
Albert (Bert) J. Davis, MD, CM, FRCPC
November 7, 1930 – October 15, 2020
Passed away peacefully but unexpectedly at home on October 15, 2020 at the age of 89 years. Leaving to mourn with precious memories, his wife Heidi McKeown Davis, his children and stepchildren: Keith Davis, Karen Davis (Ken Beal) in Würzburg, Germany, Laurence Davis (Wanda Murrin-Davis), Andy Davis (Sherry Cameron) in Mississauga, David McKeown (Norah Duggan), Jodi McKeown Foster (Stephen Foster) in Victoria, B.C., and Hilary McKeown (John Byrne); his beloved grandchildren: Davis Foster, Darcy and Teghan Byrne, Chloe, Gary and Brody McKeown, Ben Davis, Norah Davis (Jen Crane), Stephen Davis, Cecilia, Heather and Stephanie Jack, and great-granddaughter Heather. Bert will be greatly missed by siblings Mabel Peyer in Barrie, ON and Elmer Davis in Carbonear, sisters-in-law Anne Chillingworth, Irene McKee (Dave) and June Davis, his nieces, nephews, and many dear friends and former colleagues. Bert was predeceased by siblings Hudson Davis, Lilly Hayter, and Bruce Davis, and by his parents Reverend Isaac Davis and Hannah Hollett Davis.
Bert was a man defined by and committed to a life of service. He had an exceptional career that spanned more than 50 years. He was a medical pioneer who made significant improvements in pediatric care and important contributions to medical education and physician evaluation in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Born in Heart’s Content, Bert Davis pursued his medical degree at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia. After receiving his MD in 1955, he established a general practice in Port au Port. In 1958, he moved to Toronto to continue his pediatrics training at the Hospital for Sick Children, followed by one year of specialized training at the Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. He later completed additional internal medicine training and fellowships in pediatrics and endocrinology.
In 1962, he brought his skills home to Newfoundland and served as the Consultant Pediatrician at the Western Memorial Hospital in Corner Brook. Then, in 1969, he was asked by Dr. Ian Rusted to join the new medical school as one of three full-time pediatric faculty members. He relocated to St. John’s and took up the position of Consultant Pediatrician at the Janeway.
Over the next 26 years, he rose through the ranks of the Faculty of Medicine taking on such roles as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Acting Chairman in Pediatrics, Professor, Chairman of Pediatrics and Acting Vice Dean for the Faculty of Medicine. During his term as Residency Director, the university’s residency program received full accreditation. He also served as the Chief Examiner in pediatrics for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada from 1976 to 1982.
His medical-political involvement with the Canadian Medical Association included such roles as Chairman of the Committee on Accreditation of Pre-Registration Physician Training Programs, Chairman of the Council on Medical Education, and member of the Committee on Accreditation for Canadian Medical Schools. He was also a past Board and Executive Committee member of the Canadian Pediatric Society.
During his career, he held such positions as Chief of Pediatrics at two hospitals and Clinical Chief of the Child Health Program for the Health Care Corporation of St. John’s. He also served as President of the Medical Staff and Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee, the Internal Advisory Committee and the Intern Resident program.
Bert played a key role in developing many new services for Newfoundland and Labrador. He was instrumental in establishing training sessions for parents and children with asthma through the auspices of the Newfoundland Tuberculosis and respiratory Disease Association. He also established and directed the first Diabetic Clinic for children at the Janeway from 1972 to 1987. He went on to establish and direct the province’s Neonatal Inherited Metabolic Disease Program, as well as the Neonatal Transport Service.
Feeling that the Janeway was lacking proper gastroenterology and nutrition services, Dr. Davis returned to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto in 1978 to complete a fellowship in gastroenterology. Recognizing the need for pediatrics to develop into subspecialties, he lobbied for the recruitment of pediatric subspecialists to the Janeway. He was a strong advocate of the Janeway’s move to the Health Sciences Centre in 2001, which brought obstetrics and the children’s hospital together.
During his career, Bert had extensive involvement in medical research, including participation in multiple clinical investigative drug trials and numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals. He also wrote extensively on medical education and pediatric education. He was chief author of the CMA position papers on Mandatory Continuing Medical Education, Education and Licensing requirements for graduates of foreign medical schools in Canada and the NLMA’s submission to the Royal Commission on Nursing Education in the province.
In 2003, he was awarded the Canadian Medical Association Honorary Life Membership Award. Four years later, in 2007, he received the Canadian Pediatric Society’s Certificate of Merit for the Atlantic Region. He was also the recipient of the Hero of PKU Award, presented by the National PKU Alliance for his many years of service in treating PKU and related disorders. In 2011 he received an Honorary Life Membership from the Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association (adapted from www.nlma.nl.ca/nexus/issues/summer_2011/articles/article_6.html).
Bert’s life was well lived, well served, and full of devotion and love. Cremation is to take place and a celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorial donations to the Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation would be sincerely appreciated. Please share your memories in his memorial guest book.
2020
Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Dr Albert Davis 2020..
Décès pour la Ville: St-John’s, Province: T-N