From Greenville to Global Impact: Dr. Paul Davenport’s Lifelong Pursuit of Breath, Faith, and Mentorship
Published: August 21, 2025
Author: Liz Dowell
Before he became a globally recognized expert in respiratory neuroscience, before delivering keynote addresses, and before receiving lifetime achievement awards, Paul Davenport was a college student sitting in a homiletics class at Greenville College.
“I credit all my teaching success to that course,” he says, referencing Professor Dillman’s lectures. “That’s where I learned to communicate clearly and with purpose. It shaped how I teach graduate students to this day.”
And teach he has - across decades, disciplines, and continents.
A CAREER SPANNING SCIENCE, MENTORSHIP, AND LEADERSHIP
For nearly five decades, Professor Davenport has served on the faculty of the University of Florida, holding positions in both the Department of Physiological Sciences within the College of Veterinary Medicine and with affiliate appointments in the College of Medicine and College of Public Health and Health Professions. He founded and directed the UF Respiratory Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, which he led for more than 40 years.
His influence reaches far beyond Greenville. Davenport has served as a visiting professor in New Zealand, Taiwan, Belgium, Japan, Brazil, and South Africa, and was instrumental in establishing a new medical school at Walter Sisulu University in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. He also served as president of the International Society for the Advancement of Respiratory Psychophysiology (ISARP) before receiving its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in July 2025.
"It wasn't just an honor," he says of the award. "It was a thank-you from former students and colleagues I've walked alongside for decades. That meant more than anything."
Davenport’s research explores one deceptively simple question: How do we know we’re breathing?
That question launched a lifetime of study into airflow dynamics, neural coding, and sensory perception—work that has been continuously funded for decades by the National Institutes of Health, an uncommon achievement in biomedical science. He has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles, multiple book chapters, and invited reviews, shaping the field of respiratory psychophysiology.
His findings have led to new rehabilitation approaches for patients with neuromuscular disorders and improved understanding of how the brain perceives breathing difficulty - a breakthrough with implications for conditions ranging from asthma to spinal cord injuries.
Despite an intensive research schedule, Davenport has always prioritized people. He has supervised more than 50 master's and doctoral students and mentored numerous postdoctoral fellows. For years, he brought students from Greenville and Spring Arbor into his UF lab for hands-on research experience in a primary academic setting.
“There’s something special about investing in the next generation,” he says. “I’ve always felt it was part of my calling.”
Davenport’s career is rooted in Greenville’s liberal arts model, which taught him how to ask questions - and how to find answers with both rigor and humility.
“We didn’t have expensive equipment,” he remembers. “But that was an advantage. We learned the fundamentals. When something breaks in the lab now, I know how to fix it—because Greenville taught me how things work.”
He credits mentors like Professor Ron Richards (chemistry), Professor Hugh Siefken (Physics) and Professor Ahern (biology) for instilling the intellectual curiosity that drives him today.
Though his path veered from traditional ministry, Davenport views his scientific work as a spiritual calling. His mission work in Central America and Africa, his patient-centered research, and his commitment to student success are all rooted in the belief that science and faith are not at odds - they illuminate each other.
"God gave us brains to understand the world He made," he says. "My research is worship in its way."
For current students considering research or graduate school, Davenport’s message is simple: follow your gifts, not just your plans.
“If something comes naturally to you, that might be where God is leading,” he says. “Graduate school isn’t just about information. It’s about understanding. Be open. Be willing to be surprised.”
And don’t be afraid to take the long road. “I was involved in everything my first two years. My grades weren’t great,” he admits with a laugh. “But I met my wife, Cherith, at Greenville. She’s the reason I have had success, and I’m in academics. Relationships matter.”
From the quiet hallways of Greenville to international lecture halls, Professor Paul Davenport has spent a lifetime helping others breathe, both literally and figuratively. His career is a testament to what happens when curiosity, compassion, and calling intersect.
Even as he retires from full-time teaching and research this fall, he plans to continue delivering online lectures and sharing respiratory muscle training programs worldwide.
“You don’t stop teaching just because you leave the classroom,” he smiles.
