Vale Jack Davie

Today we celebrate the life of Jack Davie, Senior Biomedical Engineer and dedicated worker in humanitarian aid to healthcare services worldwide.

Jack was a biomedical engineer at Prince Henry’s Hospital in the golden days of biomedical engineering when design and development of medical equipment was a major part of the services of the Biomedical Engineering Department.
Jack came from New Zealand to study for his master’s degree with David Dewhurst. He joined the Biomedical Engineering Department early 1980 on completion of his degree. Jack had commenced his career as a technical officer with NZ Telecoms. One of the many projects undertaken early within the department was to network instruments within the pathology department. This required construction of a suitable manual “exchange”. This project highlighted Jack’s very ordered attention to detail and technical skills which he applied to all his design and projects.

As a gifted design engineer, he worked closely with the leading intensivists of the day, delivering projects to improve patient care. For example, he implemented a U processor based multi parameter model to advise appropriate patient management to ensure correct fluid balance, hence maintaining optimal blood pressure (heart loading) in unconscious patients.

When Prince Henry’s moved to Clayton in the early 1990’s, Jack worked as a senior biomedical engineer in the Clinical Engineering Department of Monash Medical Centre. During his time at MMC he was able to take leave to work with ECRI on a project at a major Malaysian hospital. Later Jack moved to Royal Melbourne Hospital as Deputy Chief biomedical Engineer. He was again called to work in humanitarian aid in Georgia as a delegate to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Jack became Chief Biomedical Engineer and oversaw the upgrade of medical systems in the renovation of the Operating Suite and the new Emergency Department. The extensive rebuilding program involved close association of the Biomedical Engineering Department and Jack’s extensive experience in hospital construction and equipment provision was most valuable in delivering these projects. . Jack was also part of a working group which developed the medical equipment asset management strategy for the Department of Health in Victoria.
Jack worked at RMH from November 2009 until he retired in 2017.

Jack returned to his native New Zealand after retiring from RMH.

Rest In Peace, Jack.

The President, SMBEVic