Dr. Richard Davies — better known to most everyone in Canby as simply “Dr. Davies” — was honored by his colleagues and peers in the osteopathic medical community this week with the news that he will receive a lifetime achievement award named after one of his mentors, Dr. Scott Heatherington.
Presented annually by the Northwest Osteopathic Medical Foundation, the J. Scott Heatherington Lifetime Achievement Award is given to an osteopathic physician from the Northwest that has made a lifetime of contributions to the profession, as well as the community. Dr. Davies certainly fits the bill.
The Davies Clinic, which now operates with three staff physicians in downtown Canby across the street from Wait Park, was founded in 1957 by his father, Dr. Edmund Davies, who was also an osteopathic physician. Dr. Richard Davies joined the clinic after he received his medical degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1976, and the two practiced together until the elder Davies retired in 1981.
Dr. Davies also worked at Providence Willamette Falls Medical Center in Oregon City throughout his professional career and spent 38 years as the physician adviser of emergency medical services for the Canby Fire District, retiring from that position less than three years ago.
He was instrumental in the growth of both, including the emergence of urgent care services in Canby through Willamette Falls, though he’s characteristically humble in talking about it.
Winning such an award is no small feat, as osteopathic physicians from the entire Northwest are considered, including Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Dr. Davies said he was particularly humbled that the award was named in honor of Scott Heatherington, DO, the first Oregon physician to be named president of the American Osteopathic Association, the founding president of the Northwest Osteopathic Medical Foundation, and a man who played a prominent role in his own professional career.
Dr. Davies will receive his award at the Northwest Osteopathic Medical Foundation’s annual Founders Event on Sept. 28. To hear our complete interview with Dr. Davis, tune into the Aug. 15, 2019, episode of the Canby Now Podcast.
Osteopathic medicine is a distinct branch of medicine in the U.S., emphasizing a holistic approach to health, with the the idea that all systems in the body are inter-related and can work with the other to heal in times of illness. Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine, or DOs, are fully licensed physicians who practice their unique whole-person approach in every medical specialty.
Photo courtesy the Canby Fire District.