Who is David?
Dr. Naysmith is a native of Victoria, British Columbia, a small dot on the map of the vast uncharted territory north of Washington State. He began his career in sciences in the physics department of Victoria High School, where he was voted the forty-third best physicist in the class. There, after completing his first laboratory experiment in chemistry, he was asked to consider transferring to an arts program before anyone was seriously injured. Despite this somewhat less than stellar beginning in the sciences he was able to complete a bachelors degree in Zoology at the University of Victoria in 1971 and go on to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a dentist. He graduated from the University of British Columbia Dental School in 1974.
His dream was quickly shattered when, after grinding other peoples teeth for about three months, he began to grind his own. He returned to the library for a few more years and ultimately the University of British Columbia was kind enough to grant him a degree in Medicine in 1977. He completed a residency in Plastic Surgery and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada in 1983.
David has practiced plastic surgery in Victoria, British Columbia for the last thirty-five years. He still loves it and occasionally gets good results.
For thirty-five years David has taught medical students, residents, family physicians, emergency room physicians and just about anyone else who will listen! He is and Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of British Columbia. He is a lecturer and examiner at the Island Medical Program in Victoria and is a visiting lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Victoria.
He has served on the Council of the Canadian Medical Protective Association since 2003. Much of his teaching is focused upon patient safety issues and improving emergency care.
David has been the Visiting Professor for the Plastic Surgery Residency Program at the University of British Columbia on two occasions, once in 2001 and again in 2015. He was the Scholar in Residence at St. Michaels University School in 2004.
Overseas work has included two missions with MSF, Bosnia ‘93 and Eritrea ’00. He has worked for Operation Rainbow Canada in Cambodia ’06, ’13, Indonesia ’09, India ’11 and Health 4 Humanity Guatemala ’14.
In 2012 he was given the Service to Medicine and Society Award by the Victoria Medical Society. The Division of Medical Sciences at the University of Victoria granted him the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014.
