Steve Davis, M.D.
Diabetes chief Davis to take post at University of Maryland
Steve Davis, M.D., chief of the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, has been named chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Maryland.
Davis, a leader of diabetes research and education at Vanderbilt University Medical Center for the past two decades, will assume his new position in Baltimore early next year.
“Steve Davis has had a long and distinguished career at Vanderbilt,” said Eric Neilson, M.D., chair of the Department of Medicine.
“He has made many contributions to the clinical management of blood glucose and helped our diabetes center achieve national prominence,” Neilson said. “His presence will be missed, but we also take pride in his continued growth as a leader for American medicine.”
“It has been a tremendous 21 years,” said Davis, the Mark Collie Professor of Diabetes Research and director of diabetes research at the Nashville Veterans Affairs Medical Center. “I will miss my colleagues, friends and patients.
“I have been extremely fortunate to benefit from a group of superb mentors over the last two decades,” he said.
Davis acknowledged Neilson among his mentors, as well as Alan Cherrington, Ph.D., Oscar Crofford, M.D., Daryl Granner, M.D., John Newman, M.D., John Oates, M.D., and David Robertson, M.D.
Cherrington, former chair of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, said Davis is one of the world's experts in “hypoglycemic counter-regulation,” protective mechanisms the body uses to prevent blood glucose levels from dropping dangerously.
Granner, former director of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center, said Davis' work, which is internationally recognized, has helped diabetes specialists manage their patients' disease “much more effectively.”
Davis “greatly expanded our clinical programs in Diabetes and Endocrinology,” added Alvin Powers, M.D., director of the Vanderbilt Diabetes Center. He “led the opening of the (Vanderbilt) Eskind Diabetes Clinic, a state-of-the-art center that provides comprehensive care for individuals with diabetes.”