Urologic Oncologist Rodney Davis, M.D., Comes Home
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| Rodney Davis, M.D., and his wife, Gloria Richard-Davis, M.D., display the plaque commemorating his investiture. Among those honoring Rodney Davis, M.D., (center) were UAMS College of Medicine Dean Debra Fiser, M.D., and UAMS Chancellor Dan Rahn, M.D. Peter Emanuel, M.D., (right) director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, presents urologic oncologist Rodney Davis, M.D., with a plaque at the ceremony. |
March 13, 2013 | While his career took him many places after college, Rodney Davis, M.D., knew it was time to return to the state where it all began.
After years of serving across the United States and overseas in both medical and military positions, Davis jumped at the chance to return to his home state of Arkansas.
“I was able to do everything I did because of the support I received from the people of Arkansas and my hometown of Malvern. I asked myself that if I was willing to fight and die for people in strange lands, was it not also reasonable to go home and give back,” he said.
For Davis, professor and chairman of the Department of Urology in the UAMS College of Medicine, a major focus of his practice is on improving cancer patients’ well-being.
“Cancer is more and more becoming a chronic condition that people live with for an extended period of time. Our job is to help these patients have the best possible quality of life, especially if a cure is not possible,” he said.
Shortly after arriving at UAMS, Davis was named the Robert Woods Bass Chair in Genitourinary Oncology, an honor that will assist him in expanding his research and clinical efforts in urologic oncology. Davis specializes in minimally invasive techniques including laparoscopy and robotics in the treatment of urologic malignancies, such as bladder cancer, prostate cancer and kidney cancer.
He hopes to bring new diagnostic and treatment options to his patients, including an advanced PET-CT scanning capability that would analyze areas where cancer has returned after initial treatment and allow for specially designed treatment in those areas.
Peter D. Emanuel, M.D., director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, believes that Davis’ commitment to providing comprehensive care for cancer patients makes him an excellent addition to UAMS.
“Dr. Davis is fully committed to providing the highest quality of care for the patients and families at UAMS. That, along with the devotion he has to giving back to his home state, makes him a perfect fit,” Emanuel said.
Davis brings a wide range of experience to his practice. In addition to holding faculty positions at the University of Michigan, Tulane University, Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College, he also has served in numerous active and reserve medical and medical leadership positions. He holds the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army Retired Reserve and received the Army Meritorious Service Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. His assignments have included Madigan Army Medical Center, the 47th Combat Support Hospital in the Persian Gulf in 1990-91, and the Task Force 399th Hospital in Al Asad, Iraq, in 2007.
Davis had the opportunity to treat cancer patients while in the military and run a trauma team during his time in Iraq. “My primary focus has always been providing diligent care for my patients, regardless if it’s in a traditional hospital setting or overseas in a war zone,” he said.