After graduating from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Biology, Davida went on to medical school at LSU.

But she found herself unhappy after 4 years of medical school, 5 years of residency, and 2 years of a Pediatric Orthopedic Fellowship at the Orthopedic Institute For Children at UCLA and Paley Institute.

Even so, it was hard to imagine such a drastic career change. However, she was already used to taking the road less traveled as one of the few female orthopedic surgeons in her cohort.

So she decided to take the plunge and enrolled at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law.

But one of her proudest moments was an unannounced FaceTime call from a former patient’s mother. The young girl – who Davida had treated for a complex limb deformity and who bravely chose multiple surgeries instead of amputation – was asked to do a presentation at school on the person who most inspired her. She chose Davida.

The girl told her class about everything Davida had achieved and how she had motivated the young woman through every step of her surgeries by encouraging her to try things that seemed scary before dismissing them out of hand.

At the end of her presentation, the girl said, “So I used to say I hated soccer and would never play it. But if Dr. Packer can do 15 years of school and go back for more without recess, I could try it once. And my team won nationals this year.”

Outside of work, Davida is an avid gardener and contributes regularly to the old-fashioned plant swaps that have sprung up all over New Orleans since the pandemic began. She is also involved with the Best Friends Animal Society and Louisiana’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She fosters both bottle baby kittens and medical needs pets.

Davida also spends her time giving back to the New Orleans community by volunteering with New Orleans Medical Reserve Corp (NOMRC) as a volunteer with skills and expertise to supplement public health emergency preparedness and response efforts.