Institutional Impact in Michigan and Alberta

Prior to joining the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Dele Davies served at Michigan State University and the University of Calgary, Alberta, listening closely to the needs of learners, teams and communities, and partnering with them to expand programs, grow research, and build sustainable funding and relationships.

Michigan State University

As Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development at MSU, Dr. Dele Davies led a multicampus department of ~ 200 faculty, 200 medical students and 90 residents from across Michigan, including East Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Flint and Saginaw.

    • Strengthened faculty development and accelerated early-career success by introducing an informal mentorship program for all new non-tenure track faculty members, with one mentor assigned inside and one outside the department to complement a more formal one for tenure track faculty.

    • Improved engagement, culture and retention by creating the annual Support Staff Recognition Awards for the department, elevating visibility and appreciation of staff contributions.

    • Reduced campus silos and strengthened culture by founding annual department cross-campus retreats, bringing together MSU College of Human Medicine faculty from East Lansing, Flint, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids and Saginaw.

    • Introduced a Handbook for New Faculty Members, initiating them into the workings of the department and connecting them to resources they would otherwise struggle to identify.Description text goes here

    • Hired the first cross-campus residency coordinator to improve connections for residents on all campus sites.

    • Created a cross-campus pediatrics residency day to enable pediatrics and medicine-pediatrics residents an opportunity to become acquainted, participate in discussions, and share ideas on how to enhance their education.

    • Introduced the first Board Review Course for graduating pediatric residents that was directly linked to improved board pass rates.

    • Streamlined and modernized cross-campus communication and collaboration by implementing Macromedia Breeze for interactive online meetings and conferences and creating the MSUKIDSDOCs faculty listserv to disseminate updates simultaneously across all campuses.

    • Created a pictorial historical display of prior Department Chairs since inception within the Department Office.

    • Preserved the department’s history and accomplishments by hiring a retired faculty member, Dr. David Kallen, to interview senior and retired faculty members and archive their stories; several of these stories are now preserved as part of the MSU Libraries Digital Repositories.

    • Created the first annual cross-campus department of pediatrics retreats and annual/biannual reports, capturing clinical, research, and teaching activities across all campuses.

    • Established the first joint research symposium between MSU and Wayne State University as a forum for sharing research projects and cross-university collaborations by students and residents from both organizations.

    • Co-led an NICHD-supported T-32 training program for pre- and post-doctoral trainees within the Department of Epidemiology mentoring trainees from a diverse educational background, including nurses, kinesiologists, nutritionists, psychologists, and physicians.

    • Founded and chaired the MSU Obesity Council, which included investigators across all MSU colleges and institutes, leading to faculty members from different colleges, including the College of Human Medicine, School of Nursing, Communication Arts and Sciences, and Nutrition, jointly applying for local and federal grants and collaborating on projects. This resulted in the publication of the book “Obesity in Childhood and Adolescence,” a collaboration of MSU and national researchers.

    • Co-founded the Michigan Alliance for the National Children’s Study (MANCS), a coalition of scientists who worked together to collaborate ahead of funding and initiation of the proposed National Children’s Study. The study researched the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the US from before birth to age 21.

    • Revitalized high-quality but poorly performing (business) clinical laboratories (prenatal screening/AFP, DNA Diagnostic cytogenetics) that were losing revenue by implemented six-sigma and lean processes. This resulted in generating net profits of ~$300,000 to $500,000 annually and clinical revenues increased more than 65% during his tenure. During the same period, general fund (state supported) revenues decreased due to annual cuts to the budget.

    • Raised philanthropics dollars to redesign and revitalize the outpatient oncology clinic to create a more comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for children and their families.

  • Convened hundreds of volunteers and interdisciplinary partners (medical, nursing, psychology, social work, and audiology faculty, staff and students alongside community and business leaders) to advance a more coordinated, multidisciplinary outpatient pediatric system.

    • This resulted in a 120-page vision and strategic plan published in February 2010 for improving services titled, “Redesigning the Structure of Subspecialty Health Care Delivery in Mid-Michigan. An MSU-Community Collaborative Plan.”

    • The plan included the economic impact of Integrating Outpatient Subspecialty Child Health Care Delivery for Mid-Michigan Children and Families as well a business case prepared by Public Policy Associates Inc of Lansing Michigan.

  • Created the MSU Children's Health Initiative (MSU CHI) in 2004, inspiring the Greater Lansing community to participate in philanthropic efforts that support research, education and clinical care to benefit the children of Mid-Michigan.

    • Recruited MSU Women’s Basketball head coaches as honorary spokespersons and advocates, elevating visibility and community participation.

    • Co-created the “3-Point Challenge” that encouraged the community to donate for every three-point shot made by the MSU women’s team, driving fundraising to support MSU CHI programs and clinic needs.

    • Co-created “Honorary Coach of the Game,” giving children with chronic illnesses the opportunity to interact with the MSU women’s basketball team; this served as inspiration for the children, as well as a reminder to players of the importance of health.

    Founded the MSU Annual Teddy Bear Hospital and Picnic held at the MSU 4-H Children’s Garden yearly to demystify health related visits to thousands of children within the Greater Lansing Region in 2005. The event remains very successful (now named the Teddy Bear Health Fair) and celebrated its 20th year anniversary in 2025.

Throughout his tenure at MSU, Dr. Dele Davies improved business processes, connections and communication within the department, diversified sources of revenues, successfully engaged in recruiting and retaining faculty, encouraged and incentivized scholarship and mentoring among faculty, promoted faculty development, and ensured clear and aligned mission and vision for the department. He also worked diligently to ensure the area had a very strong presence within the community, the state and the nation.

Under his leadership, direct research awards and publications more than doubled, and overall research, including those with faculty members as co-PI, increased 20-fold. He was also supported by his own NIH ROI grant, which totaled over $1.1 million.

Additionally, he promoted and supported a vision that led the Division of General Pediatrics designation as a Patient-Centered Medical Home.

Dr. Davies revitalized underperforming clinical labs by implementing Lean and Six Sigma processes, generating $300,000–$500,000 in annual net profits and 65%+ clinical revenue growth despite ongoing state funding cuts.

While at MSU, Dr. Davies also founded a community-driven initiative to strengthen pediatric care and help Mid-Michigan children and families navigate a healthier future. He engaged civic and university leaders and convened interdisciplinary teams that produced a 120-page MSU–community strategic plan to improve subspecialty care delivery.

“My time at the University of Calgary and Michigan State taught me that servant leadership, hard work, authentic relationships and teamwork are the core tenets of meaningful and lasting change. Those lessons still guide my leadership today and provide the foundation for leading with purpose and progress.”
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H. Dele Davies, MD

Alberta Children’s Hospital at the University of Calgary

As Director of the Child Health Research Unit at Alberta Children's Hospital, Dr. Davies developed programs and worked with the Department Chair to hire high-quality researchers. Under his leadership, the Child Health Research Unit achieved University of Calgary Research Group Status in 2000 that paved the way for the current Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, now one of the premier pediatric research units in Canada.

During these years, Dr. Davies advanced major initiatives and research contributions, including:

  • Directed the Regional Outpatient Parenteral Therapy program for more than six major adult and pediatric hospitals region for managing patients on home IV.

  • Established the first province-wide network to study neonatal group B streptococcal infections in Alberta, Canada; his population-based epidemiologic studies helped establish the incidence rates, risk groups, risk factors and serotypes responsible for causing neonatal group B streptococcal infections in Canada.

  • Drove philanthropic funding as a member of the Capital Campaign Team for the new Alberta Children's Hospital, raising $50 million from private donations.

  • Secured continuous career-development awards from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, progressing from Clinical Investigator to Scholar.

  • Secured independent research funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

  • Awarded the Watanabe Distinguished Achievement Award for Overall Excellence from the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine (two-time recipient), which recognizes faculty for meritorious contributions across education, research/scholarship and service.