Congratulations to Associate Professor Andrew Davis – winner of the 2017 Consumer Choice Award!
Following a record number of votes from you, our community, Paediatric Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist Andrew Davis was selected as the winner and received his award at the RCH Annual Awards night.
Andrew commenced his training at the RCH as a Junior Medical Officer in 1986. He trained in general paediatrics and cardiology before heading to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto for three years to specialise in paediatric electrophysiology and complete his doctoral thesis. He then spent time at Boston Children’s Hospital before returning to the RCH in 1996 as a Consultant Cardiologist and Electrophysiologist.
As Lead Clinician for the Arrhythmia Service at the RCH, Andrew specialises in looking after patients who have abnormal heart rhythms. He is passionate about research and has a special interest in preventing sudden death in young children with cardiac conditions.
Andrew credits his win to the team he works with who all share the same goal – to make patients safe and give them the best care possible.
“Every single health professional, at every level in the hospital are all highly motivated to do a great job for children and their families. That along with the families I get to meet, make me love this job. I like to put myself in my patients shoes and try to look after them as if I were in that position myself,” he said.
“I am truly humbled to receive this award.”
His nominees said he is always honest and open, and that his patients adore him.
Parent Annmarie was convinced Andrew was ‘the one’ to win the award, saying he is “so warm, approachable, extremely thorough, realistic, brilliant and even funny! Andrew is the most fabulous cardiologist around!”
Mum Mandy Stone agreed, saying her family admired his dedication.
“Unbelievably kind, dedicated and an extremely brilliant man. Turned my daughter’s life around when he met her when she was 11 years old and he has been with her all the way. Will be very sad to have our last consult with him,” she said.
Join us in congratulating Andrew.
7 comments for “The winner of the Consumer Choice Award is…Andrew Davis!”
Nerida van Drunen
Congratulations Dr Davis!
When I first came to see you 3 years ago with my son Hamish I was scared. Having seen my son at 3 years old have a pre operative cardiac arrest at Monash I lost faith in medical practiotioners and was worried I’d loose my most precious gift.
Then I met you Dr Andrew Davis. You reassured me, performed major surgery on my child and continue to help us everyday. Your team always take my messages if I need help and you always promptly call me back, listen and talk me through suggestions. I never feel like a crazy worried Mum when you are around.
Thank you for everything you do for research,cardiology, helping families like my own. Loeys Dietz Syndrome still has slot to be learnt in relation to matters of the heart. I feel extremely confident & lucky to have you as our wing man.
Kind regards,
Nerida van Drunen
Kerry And Kent Sluggett
Congratulations on receiving this award…
we met 31 years ago… along time ago but still very much in my memories. Our daughter Nicole was born in dimboola a small country town, they thought she had bronchitis we were sent to Horsham then flown to RCH as it was way much more serious.. when Nicky and I arrived you were the first person I spoke to in the cardiac ward, you were the junior medical officer back then.. you and a couple of the nurses on that night tried to lift my spirits by giving me the knick name pj lady, as I had no clothes with me until my husband arrived.. Nicole’s surgeon was Mr Roger Mee, and Dr T H Goh, during her first of many surgeries you came into the parents room and kept us updated on the progress. For this we were very appreciative.. now 31 years later Nicole is still battling heart problems and still with T H GOh.. was so glad to read your progress, and now a associate professor.. thankyou for what you did for our family, and for the many many more you have and are helping..
Once again congratulations
Kerry Sluggett
Portland
Victoria 3305
Sarah Hosking junior doctor
Having just finished a 3 month rotation on cardiology at RCH and worked with Andrew I think he is very well deserving of this award. He not only seriously cares about his patients – it’s an ongoing joke amongst medical staff that Andrew will know what’s going on about his patient even before the nursing and junior medical staff do! He is also supportive and lovely to the junior doctors treating us with respect, always has a kind word and helps out all of the time!
Congrats Andrew!!
The Hopkins Family
After crossing all our fingers and toes we were so excited to read that Dr Andrew had won this award. We are so grateful and fortunate to have Andrew and his awesome team looking after Ollie. Congratulations.
Coral Keren
I remember Andrew as a young boy doing magic shows for the younger children. They all loved him then and people love him now as he performs a different kind of magic that saves lives.
Barry
I first met Prof Davis a decade ago as a hapless JMO trying to plead my way into an impromptu cardiology OPD appointment already bursting at the seams whilst clutching an ECG to my chest in the hope that someone more qualified than me can interpret the squiggles and reassured me that my soon to be discharged patient wasn’t harbouring a cardiac time bomb.
The harried looking clerk finally took pity on me running around like a headless chook and directed me to stand guard outside one of the OPD clinic door. ‘ The trick, ‘ she whispered conspiratorially, ‘ is to mention that your consultant insists on a cardiology consult, barring which a learned opinion of the ECG should suffice till the next available cardiology OPD appointment. ‘
‘ But I don’t even know who’s behind that door! ‘ I wailed, gesturing frantically at said door upon which the sign ‘Echocardiogram’ gleamed ever so threateningly across the top and looking forebodingly 10 times its actual height and width.
‘ Well neither do I munchkin, ‘ came the derisive retort. ‘ But that ECG sure ain’t gonna read itself and he who can echo thy heart can also echo away the red tapes and demystify this pretty pink paper so just march yourself there and practise your best woebegone face whilst you are at it.’
Years later, I would still recall the suffocating sense of panic waiting outside that door whilst acting for all the world liked I belong there, with one sweaty hand clutching the ECG like a talisman and the other fidgeting with my pager hoping that somebody, someone, a terrorist attack or even a MET call would ensue therefore justifying my abandoning the post and palming the task off to my registrar.
After what felt like an eternity of reluctant eavesdropping on muffled conversations and roller chairs scraping back and forth, the door suddenly flung open amid murmurs of polite farewells and well-wishes only to reveal a rather tall individual talking on his mobile phone. Spotting my very determined stance from the corner of his eyes, he valiantly attempt to avoid eye contact but was unable to escape the now hopelessly crumpled piece of pink stationary formerly known as an ECG that I brandished wildly in his line of sight just barely out of strangling distance while inserting myself stoically between the room behind him and the only way to the nearest exit.
I remembered at that point thinking in relief to myself, ‘ Phew, at least he’s not a consultant judging from that jolly baby-face and full head of hair .’
‘Sir!’ I defaulted to my bygone military way of greeting in the hope that his little registrar ego would lap it up before launching into an epic tale of my young patient’s heroic attempts in conquering his illness ( and the occasional ghastly meals masquerading as consumables ) only to be potentially deflated on this joyous day of his discharge by the teensy matter of an atypical chest pain followed by an unfortunate looking ECG which the minty-new medical consultant refuse to sign off lest he be sued for the millions he had yet to earned.
The ‘registrar’s’ initial look of amusement ( or my misjudging his amazement at my audacity) broke into a snorts of laughter as my earnest rendition of a clinical monologue not only seemingly took on a life of it’s own and ended in a flourish befitting (as I had imagined ) the gravity of the matter, but also simultaneously capturing the rapt attention of several toddlers just outside of my hand-flinging range.
Upon containing himself and to my utmost relief and gratitude (both to him and to those wildly expensive toddler acting classes forced upon me by star-struck parents), the ECG was pried from my choking grasp as a pair of gleaming eyes swept knowingly across it before being unintelligibly initialled upon.
‘This is my lunch time now you know, ‘ a voice heavy-laden with resignation transmitted somewhere in the vicinity of his youthful-looking face from behind the cursed piece of jail-free document in his hands before those all seeing eyes squinted ever so menacingly over the top at my blissfully oblivion self.
‘Sir, if you think the ECG isn’t ominous looking, perhaps a later date OPD ….. ‘ I trailed off hoping Benjamin Button here would bite and gave me the go ahead to overbook the OPD clinic.
‘Well, a snapshot of an ECG is only as good as the paper it’s printed on. The ECG’s borderline and I’m only saying that because I can’t be sure in the recount of your patient’s harrowing tale and also the OPD’s overbooking list is already overbooked for the next 6 months.’ he explained painstakingly to my rapidly crestfallen face.
Then cue…. The Miracle: ‘ If you can bring the patient down here now from the ward, I will shuffle the others and free up time to perform an echo on him which will be better than basing his need for a cardiology OPD on a piece of fax paper with sweat stains all over it. However I can’t guarantee I will see him immediately or indeed within the next hour or 2 but he will be seen today by me for an echo definitely,’ so proclaimed the reassuring authoritative voice of someone who not only knew his sh*t but was also gracious enough to spare the awkward JMO further interrogational trauma and the logistical nightmare of trying to overbook an already overbooked OPD clinic.
It would be months before I learned of this ‘registrar’s’ real name and specialist title. And once I committed this fine clinician’s name to my permanent memory bank, I was repeatedly reminded of his genteel and affable bedside manners as recounted by other patients and colleagues who were fortunate enough to be in his professional yet humorous company.
I have never shared this encounter with anybody ( the shame of it all haha ) and I doubt if Prof Davis can recall he once sacrifices his lunch hour over the crazed looks of a junior medical staff looking for all intends and purposes to be at the verge of a public meltdown simply because he thinks he’s discharging a patient to certain cardiac death by failing to secure that all important initials across the crumpled ECG paper.
From all the glowing comments and compliments that I can see here, it seems that Prof Davis has indeed remained his approachable and professional self after all these years in what can only be understatedly described as a challenging specialty in the field of paediatrics cardiology.
Consistency and an approachable bedside manners are 2 very difficult traits to cultivate or maintain in any profession, let alone one as rapidly evolving as medicine. If nothing else, this one unwitting act of professional grace from a senior medical staff to a junior whom he has neither laid eyes on before nor after the deed, has inspired this medico to always strive for that perfect balance between empathy and professionalism towards colleagues and patients. As a result, this once quivering mess of a junior doctor has slowly but surely become a better clinician and most importantly, a better person overall.
So a much belated thank you to you, Prof Davis and many congratulations on this official acknowledgement of the fine clinician that you have always been and the many lives you have touched and therefore make better.
A well-deserved accolade for a world-class clinician right at our doorsteps of RCH and I cannot be prouder.
Linda Morison
Different perspective here, I’m 68, I worked on 7 West at the old RCH for 26 Years, I remember Andrew when he started. I have CHD and more than once, Andrew insisted I go to they RMH, from work….on a couple of occasions, calling an ambulance to the ward….I am so thrilled that Andrew has won this award. His compassion and caring extends to all he comes into contact with….’young Linda’ as he called me, ward clerk, 1986 – 2010.