October 14, 2022
Vice-Chancellor receives honorary doctorate from UTS
Professor Patricia Davidson recognised for contribution to improved care delivery for patients affected by chronic illnesses
University of Wollongong (UOW) Vice-Chancellor Professor Patricia M. Davidson was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Health Sciences by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) at a ceremony on Thursday 13 October.
The honour was in recognition of Professor Davidson’s “esteemed international profile and sustained involvement in research, clinical and policy initiatives to improve care delivery at the national and international levels”.
Professor Davidson is a global leader in nursing, cardiovascular health and the care of vulnerable populations. She commenced in the role of UOW Vice-Chancellor and President in May 2021, and prior to that served as Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing from 2013 until 2021.
From 2010 to 2013 Professor Davidson was the inaugural Director of the Centre for Cardiovascular and Chronic Care at UTS from 2010 to 2013, continuing in a part-time capacity until 2020, and is currently an Honorary Adjunct Professor at UTS. In her roles at UTS, Professor Davidson mentored the next generation of health professionals and scientists and was supervisor for many doctoral students.
Professor Davidson said she was honoured to have been given this recognition from UTS and was proud of her connection to the Faculty of Health.
The citation for Professor Davidson’s honorary doctorate reads:
“Throughout her career, Professor Davidson has been committed to developing innovative, person-centred, outcome-focused models of care. She is internationally recognised for her outstanding contribution to scholarship and professional practice, specifically for improving health outcomes for patients, especially women and families affected by chronic illnesses and cardiovascular disease, in a variety of care settings.”
Before shifting her focus to academia, Professor Davidson was a frontline clinician for 23 years. Her doctoral work was one of the first projects to demonstrate the benefits of palliative care for people with end-stage heart failure.
Professor Davidson has focused on exemplary teaching and research throughout her academic career. She has collaboratively developed, tested and implemented a range of nurse-led interventions for at risk populations, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, disadvantaged women, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
“I am very lucky to have had a far-reaching and varied career, which is a testament to the career versatility that nursing can offer, but above all, I am a nurse and it all started in Wollongong. It is in the hospital that my training began and, many years later, that desire to help others and that passion for health, equity and social justice has never left,” Professor Davidson said.