Meet the Acting Chancellor | University of Nebraska Medical Center

Renowned academic leader, researcher, professor, and pediatrician, H. Dele Davies, MD, is dedicated to transforming health sciences education and driving positive change in the community and beyond.

Dr. Davies serves as interim chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, following the selection of Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, as president of the University of Nebraska System.

In this role, Dr. Davies is responsible for all aspects of campus leadership, program quality and operations, including six colleges, one graduate program, two degree-granting institutes, professional staff and the faculty of more than 6,000 people and 4,500 health professions. students.

Throughout his career, Dr. Davies has championed initiatives that inspire personal and professional growth, ensuring that students, faculty and staff have the tools and opportunities to excel. He strives to foster a welcoming and dynamic environment at UNMC where each individual is able to reach their full potential.

Dr. Davies joined UNMC in 2012, initially appointed as Vice Chancellor. He was promoted in 2017 to senior vice chancellor, with expanded responsibilities and direct oversight of all UNMC colleges and a health sciences library. He has served as dean of graduate studies since arriving at UNMC.

Prior to joining UNMC, Dr. Davies was Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Prior to that, he served as Director of the Child Health Research Unit at Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, Canada, and the University of Calgary Child Health Research Institute.

As Senior Vice Chancellor, Dr. Davies oversaw numerous initiatives and helped develop UNMC’s rural health programs, pathway programs, community outreach and faculty development. Under his leadership, the total number of students enrolled at UNMC has increased each year with the addition of several new professional degree programs. As Dean of Graduate Studies, Dr. Davies implemented key programs focused on student development and well-being and trained faculty as mentors and leaders.

Dr. Davies has received numerous prestigious awards throughout his career for his research, teaching, mentoring, and community service. Since 2006, he has been recognized annually as a member of Best Doctors of America, is a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, and a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Medical Society, the Society for Pediatric Research, and the American Pediatric Society.

Dr. Davies has over 250 publications in peer-reviewed journals related to his research on infectious disease topics, several book chapters and other scientific publications, as well as numerous presentations at national and international meetings.

Dr. Davies received his medical degree from the Temerty School of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in epidemiology from the Dana Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Dr. Davies also holds a master’s degree in health care management from the Harvard School of Public Health.

He completed specialty training in pediatrics and pediatric infectious diseases at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

Dr. Davies is a former fellow of the Academic Leadership Program, a broad training program of the Big Ten Academic Alliance designed to help faculty leaders meet the challenges of academic administration at large research universities.

In 2023, Dr. Davies became an International Coach Federation Certified Coach. This one-year intensive training for academic medical leaders from the Spiro Coaching Institute focuses on enhancing the essential skills needed to increase organizational impact and patient care.

Dr. Davies’ research interests focus on infectious diseases, particularly perinatal infections caused by group A and B streptococci. His work has been instrumental in establishing population rates, epidemiological risk factors, of serotypes and key virulence factors for group A and B streptococcal infections in Canada, paving the way for the future introduction of effective vaccines.

Dr. Davies has conducted research and developed health programs that have been supported by more than $24 million in funding, either as principal investigator, co-principal investigator or co-investigator from multiple agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Dr. Davies was named one of the top 2% of researchers in his field based on citation metrics by a 2022 study by Stanford University.

Dr. Davies has served on more than 180 government or public health committees, advisory boards, councils, and agencies, such as:

• Chair, National Biodefense Safety Board Readiness and Resilience Task Force, Advisor to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
• Member of the National Institutes of Health Advisory Board, Deputy Director for Intramural Research.
• Founding and Past President, Association of University Health Centers, Academic Directors Executive Leadership Group.
• Member of the board of directors, Council of Graduate Schools.