In Memoriam: Dr. Ronald M. Davis
By Bob Vollinger
After a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer, Ronald M. Davis, MD, passed away Nov. 6, 2008 at his home in East Lansing, Mich.
Dr. Davis served as the 162nd president of the American Medical Association (AMA) from June 2007 to June 2008. As the first preventive medicine specialist ever elected to that position, he focused on improving access to health care, and the importance of prevention and sound public policy. He also helped lead the AMA’s efforts to analyze its past history of racial inequality, which culminated in the organization’s formal apology towards African-American physicians in July 2008. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/18773.html
Dr. Davis’ career as a public health official began as director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he oversaw the publication of three landmark Surgeon General’s reports: The Health Consequences of Smoking: Nicotine Addiction; Reducing the Health Consequences of Smoking: 25 Years of Progress; and The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation. (http://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/NN/ListByDate.html) He later served as medical director for the Michigan Department of Public Health and was most recently the director of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
From 1992-1998, Dr. Davis served as the founding editor of Tobacco Control, the first journal dedicated to tobacco control research. Subsequently, he served as the North American editor of the British Medical Journal. A prolific writer, he was an author or co-author of hundreds of articles in the peer-reviewed literature, and an equal number of editorials and pieces for the lay press.
Dr. Davis was a key expert witness in numerous trials against the tobacco industry, including lawsuits brought by individual smokers, several state attorneys general, and the landmark class action lawsuit on behalf of flight attendants harmed by secondhand smoke. He also testified before Congress and other legislative bodies on many occasions.
Dr. Davis was the recipient of numerous grants, including a National Cancer Institute (NCI) grant titled “Analysis of Tobacco Depositions and Trial Testimony,” which analyzed the sworn testimony of tobacco industry executives, researchers, and consultants. The projects’ findings were published in a special supplement to Tobacco Control, available at http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/vol15/suppl_4/
Dr. Davis also served as the senior scientific editor for NCI Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph 19, The Role of the Media in Promoting and Reducing Tobacco Use, which provides a critical, scientific review and synthesis of the current evidence regarding the power of the media, both to encourage and to discourage tobacco use. http://dccps.nci.nih.gov/tcrb/monographs/19/index.html. He was a featured speaker at the press conference held to release the monograph in August 2008. http://www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/NCI_Cancer_Bulletin_092308/page4
He received many awards and honors, including the Surgeon General’s Exemplary Service Medal and the Surgeon General’s Medallion, The American College of Preventive Medicine’s Distinguished Service Award, the American Thoracic Society’s Distinguished Service Award, the John Slade Award from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, and most recently ATOD Section’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Ron was an active member of APHA and a true leader within the ATOD field. He inspired many members of the ATOD Section and was honored at the ATOD Awards Ceremony on Oct. 28, 2008 in San Diego by many of his friends and colleagues who told numerous stories of the tremendous impact he had on their lives and their careers in public health. He was a role model for many in the field. In addition, Ron will be awarded the American Legacy Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously on March 11, 2009 in New York City.
Dr. Davis received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and his medical degree and Master’s degree in public policy from the University of Chicago. He completed epidemiology training and the preventive medicine residency program at the CDC.
Even while facing a serious illness, Dr. Davis remained an advocate. He used his cancer diagnosis to educate the public about patient Web sites, which enable patients to communicate widely about their disease and treatment and build a community of support. He will be remembered by his colleagues and friends around the world for his seminal contributions to tobacco control and public health as well as his kindness, integrity and dedication to helping others. He is survived by his wife Nadine; their three sons Jared, Evan and Connor; and numerous other family members.