Adrienne Davis

Research Director, Paediatric Emergency Medicine

Project Investigator, Child Health Evaluative Sciences
Research Institute

Research Education Lead, Division of Emergency Medicine

A central focus of Dr. Davis' academic work has been transforming the SickKids Emergency Department into a ‘Research Emergency Department’—integrating scientific research into daily operations to advance emergency medicine, improve care, and promote health equity. To achieve this, she established the SEARCH program in 2019 (SickKids Emergency Assistants in Research in Child Health). SEARCH now serves as the hub for patient screening, enrollment, and data collection, supporting over 10,000 screenings and 5,000 enrollments annually, and collaborating across more than 15 hospital divisions. Dr. Davis leads the Health Equity Data Initiative in the Emergency Department with the goals of a) identifying and mitigating inequities of care, b) matching available resources to those who need them the most, and c) co-creating programs and services based on needs. She has also developed and co-leads an annual "Introduction to Clinical Research Course in Paediatrics" for residents and subspecialty fellows at SickKids.

Research

Dr. Davis' research includes leading innovative studies on neurologic emergencies in children, including detection of increased intracranial pressure using eye ultrasound, as well as prognosis and improving outcomes in traumatic brain injuries, and improving neonatal lumbar puncture success rates.

Education and experience

• 2014–2017: M.Sc., Clinical Epidemiology: Health Research Methodology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
• 2014–2015: Research Fellowship, Division of Emergency Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2012–2014: Fellowship in Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada
• 2011–2012: Chief Residency in Pediatrics, Mt Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA
• 2008–2011: Residency in Pediatrics, Mt Sinai Hospital, New York, NY, USA
• 2004–2008: MD, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA
• 2002: BA, Behavioral Neuroscience, Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

Achievements

• 2022: POWER Teaching Award, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2018: Subspecialty Teaching Award, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
• 2014: CANMEDS Subspecialty Award, Department of Paediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada. 

1. Change in Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter and Cerebral Ventricular Shunt Failure in Children
2. Diagnostic utility of point-of-care ultrasound and optical coherence tomography for papilloedema in children: a prospective pilot study
3. Reliability and feasibility of optic nerve point-of-care ultrasound in pediatric patients with ventricular shunts
4. Optimal Volume of Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity Postconcussion in Children and Adolescents
5. Is early activity resumption after paediatric concussion safe and does it reduce symptom burden at 2 weeks post injury?

See more publications of Dr. Adrienne Davis