Dr. David Akers

Giving Back to a Place He Loved

Dr. David Akers grew up in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. At an early age he dreamed of becoming a physician and in the 1930’s entered the University of Colorado School of Medicine. There he trained to be a surgeon and also met and married his wife, Kiku “Kay” Nishimura, who was training to be a nurse.

During World War II, Dr. Akers served as a surgeon in the Army Air Corps. When he returned to Colorado, he came to The Children’s Hospital as a resident in pediatric surgery. From 1958 to 1968, Dr. Akers served as chief of surgical services at Children’s and is believed to have been the first surgeon in the entire state to limit his practice to the care of children. David and Kay Akers had no children but devoted their lives to the health of others’ children.

Both David and Kay lived well into their 90’s. Just a few years after his wife passed away and as his health declined, David began to consider a bequest to The Children’s Hospital and explored with Foundation staff the idea of an endowed chair in pediatric surgery. A year and a half after his death in 2005, Children’s celebrated the legacy that Dr. Akers left – the Dr. David R. and Kiku Akers Chair in Pediatric Surgery. This thoughtful gift pays tribute to Dr. Akers’ dedication to children and ensures that countless generations will continue to receive the best surgical care available.