Colonel Ronald Arthur Davidson, BSc, MD, MPH, CD, (Retired)
Diplomate of the American Board of Preventive Medicine in Aerospace Medicine
For over 28 years, Dr. Davidson (Ron) served the Canadian Forces Medical Services in increasingly responsible clinical, research, training, operational, managerial, and command roles across air and maritime environments. In September 2005, he retired as a Colonel in the Medical Branch and as a board-certified Aerospace Medicine Specialist. He has served or currently serves on several not-for-profit boards and committees, including the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, Effect Hope (The Leprosy Mission Canada), the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada, and, of course, the Beechwood Cemetery Company and Foundation.
Dr. Davidson received his Doctor of Medicine degree from McMaster University in 1980 and his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Texas in 1986, with a focus on leprosy and malariology. In 1987, he completed a residency in Aerospace Medicine with the United States Air Force and was board-certified in Aerospace Medicine by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.
During the final five years of his military career, Dr. Davidson represented Canada as Head of Delegation to NATO's Aeromedical Panel and to the AGARD Air and Space Interoperability Council. His final military appointments were Medical Advisor to the Chief of the Air Staff and Aviation Medical Advisor to the Minister of National Defence.
After retiring from the military, Dr. Davidson served as a policy advisor to the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons for two years. He was later elected President of the Ottawa-Orléans Electoral District Association and served as Deputy Campaign Manager for six years, including during two federal elections.
In 2012, Dr. Davidson was elected to the Board of Directors of Effect-Hope (The Leprosy Mission Canada), where he applied his expertise and enthusiasm to combat leprosy worldwide and to advance techniques and treatments to address its devastating sequelae.
Also in 2012, Dr. Davidson had a chance encounter with a member of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, a heraldic Order established in 1098 to alleviate the pain and suffering of people with leprosy, care for the sick and dying, and foster Christian unity. He regarded the encounter as a sign and an opportunity to give back after a long and successful professional and military career.
In 2019, Dr. Davidson was elected to the Beechwood Cemetery Company and Foundation's Board of Directors, where he now serves on the Audit Committee. In 2022, as Hospitaller for the Order of Saint Lazarus and a board member of Beechwood, he spearheaded a special tree dedication honouring H.E. Dame Grete Hale, a recipient of the Order of Canada and the longest-serving member of the Order of Saint Lazarus and of the Beechwood Cemetery Company and Foundation. As President of the Beechwood Board, Dame Hale was a driving force in keeping Beechwood solvent and in making it the national treasure it is today. Since May 2025, Dr. Davidson has served as chairperson of the Friends of Beechwood, a group of individuals with a long and passionate attachment to Beechwood and its future.
He describes his attraction to Effect-Hope, the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus, and Beechwood Cemetery Company and Foundation as a logical step in a long process, an opportunity to leverage his military and medical expertise, his interest in leprosy and tropical diseases, and his desire to serve disadvantaged members of our society.
Ron lives in the National Capital Region, Ontario, and is married to Janet Davidson, a former Canadian Forces aeromedical evacuation nurse. They have five adult children, two grandsons, and a mischievous Sheepadoodle.