Professor Andrew Davidson
Role:
Group Leader
Email:
Available for Student Supervision
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Professor Andrew Davidson
Biography:
Professor Andrew Davidson is the Medical Director of the Melbourne Children's Trials Centre (MCTC). The MCTC was established to be a leading centre for paediatric trials worldwide. In his role as Medical Director, Professor Davidson is involved in facilitating research for clinical research staff at The Royal Children's Hospital and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
Professor Davidson is also a Senior Staff Anaesthetist and Director of Clinical Research for the Royal Children's Hospital. He is also Head of Anaesthesia Research at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and Professor in Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne.
Professor Davidson trained in anaesthesia in Melbourne, Nottingham, Rotterdam and Boston. He has received a Diploma of Biostatistics and Epidemiology and Doctorate of Medicine (MD) from the University of Melbourne.
He is currently editor-in-chief (elect) for the journal Paediatric Anaesthesia, Associate Editor for Anesthesiology. He has been awarded four National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) grants along with major research grants in Canada and the UK. Professor Davidson was the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) Lennard Travers Professor in 2011.
He is a member of the ANZCA Clinical Trials Group and chair of the Society for Paediatric Anaesthesia in New Zealand and Australia (SPANZA) research sub committee.
Other Affiliations:
- Medical Director of the Melbourne Children's Trials Centre (MCTC), Melbourne, Australia
- Senior Staff Anaesthetist, Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management, Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia
- Professor, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Awards:
Gilbert Troup Medal and prize, Australian Society of Anaesthetists, 2004
Lennard Travers Professorship, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists, 2011
Research:
Professor Davidson is increasingly involved in the design and conduct of large clinical trials. For some trials he provides advice while in others he is an active collaborator or principal investigator. Professor Davidson is regularly asked to speak and write on clinical research, trial design and conduct. He has an interest in ethics of trials in children, being deputy chair of the human research ethics committee.
Professor Davidson is considered a key opinion leader in the research fields of neurotoxicity of anaesthesia in children, EEG during anaesthesia and awareness and memory formation during anaesthesia. He has conducted numerous studies in these areas and regularly speaks at conferences about these topics. Competitive grants for his research studies where he is CIA or chief investigator have totalled more than $8 million. Professor Davidson has been published widely in more than 90 peer-reviewed publications and written several book chapters.
An emerging research theme is using the novel technology of near infrared spectroscopy to monitor cerebral deoxygenation during surgery in infants. He is also leading an international collaboration to pool results and plan large clinical trials.
Projects:
Anaesthesia and the developing brain: Andrew Davidson
Pharmacokinetics of Anaesthetic Drugs: Will Morton, Geoff Frawley, Pete Squire
Anaesthesia and Pain Management: Ian McKenzie, George Chalkiadis, Greta Palmer
Anaesthetic Techniques: Geoff Frawley, Catherine Olweny, Stefan Sabato
Cardiac Anaesthesia: Mike Clifford, Tomo Suemori
Ing CH, DiMaggio CJ, Malacova E, Whitehouse AJ, Hegarty MK, Feng T, Brady JE, von Ungern-Sternberg BS, Davidson AJ, Wall MM, Wood AJ, Li G, Sun LS. Comparative analysis of outcome measures used in examining neurodevelopmental effects of early childhood anesthesia exposure. Anesthesiology. 2014 Jun; 120 (6): 1319-32.
Dorkham MC, Chalkiadis GA, von Ungern Sternberg BS, Davidson AJ. Effective postoperative pain management in children after ambulatory surgery, with a focus on tonsillectomy: barriers and possible solutions. Paediatr Anaesth. 2014 Mar;24(3):239-48.
Sanders RD, Hassell J, Davidson AJ, Robertson NJ, Ma D. Impact of anaesthetics and surgery on neurodevelopment: an update. Br J Anaesth. 2013 Jun;110 Suppl 1:i53-72.
Oakley E, Borland M, Neutze J, Acworth J, Krieser D, Dalziel S, Davidson A, Donath S, Jachno K, South M, Theophilos T, Babl FE; Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT). Nasogastric hydration versus intravenous hydration for infants with bronchiolitis: a randomised trial. Lancet Respir Med. 2013 Apr;1(2):113-20.
Ing C, DiMaggio C, Whitehouse A, Hegarty MK, Brady J, von Ungern-Sternberg BS, Davidson A, Wood AJ, Li G, Sun LS. Long-term differences in language and cognitive function after childhood exposure to anesthesia. Pediatrics. 2012 Sep;130(3):e476-85
Davidson AJ. Neurotoxicity and the need for anesthesia in the newborn: does the emperor have no clothes? Anesthesiology. 2012 Mar;116(3):507-9.
Sanders RD, Pandharipande PP, Davidson AJ, Ma D, Maze M. Anticipating and managing postoperative delirium and cognitive decline in adults BMJ. 2011 Jul 20;343:d4331.
Davidson AJ. Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity to the developing brain: the clinical relevance. Paediatr Anaesth. 2011 Jul;21(7):716-21.
Davidson AJ, Smith KR, Blussé van Oud-Alblas HJ, Lopez U, Malviya S, Bannister CF, Galinkin JL, Habre W, Ironfield C, Voepel-Lewis T, Weber F. Awareness in children: a secondary analysis of five cohort studies. Anaesthesia. 2011 Jun;66(6):446-54.
Pham X, Smith KR, Sheppard SJ, Bradshaw C, Lo E, Davidson AJ. Implicit memory formation during routine anesthesia in children: a double-masked randomized controlled trial. Anesthesiology. 2010 May;112(5):1097-104.