Sheila Davis

Half of the people on this planet lack access to essential health care. And for more than three decades, Partners In Health has worked to build equitable and just health care systems in the places that need them most, demonstrating to the world that health equity is possible.

As CEO of the global health organization, Sheila Davis spends her days making possible what others deem impossible. “We are fighting for global health equity, boldly and unapologetically,” she says.

Since Partners In Health was founded by the late visionary anthropologist and doctor Paul Farmer in 1987, the nonprofit has grown to a team of nearly 20,000 employees in 11 countries around the world, including doctors, nurses, clinicians, and administrators who are providing care, establishing medical centers, and educating future generations of health care workers.

Davis has more than 35 years of experience as a nurse. She started her career working on the front lines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic before joining PIH in 2010, as a global nursing coordinator based in Haiti. She led the organization’s nursing, clinical operations, and Ebola response before being named CEO in 2019. Though her longtime friend and collaborator Dr. Farmer died unexpectedly, Davis and her global team remain as determined as ever to continue innovating new ways to deliver quality care in clinical deserts around the world—helping to move the needle toward global health equity.