Aaron Davis (They/She)
by Theao Quinn Klinicke (They/Them)
Aaron Davis has called Washington home for almost twenty years, their community focused commitment to social justice highlights building a lasting and resilient community. Davis is afro-indigenous, queer, chronically ill, first-gen college student, parent, partner, community health activist and advocate, full-spectrum doula, and artist. With a focus on advancing health equity and supporting marginalized people, Davis has taken a multifaceted approach to address inequality.
Davis earned their bachelor’s degree in Public Health from University of Washington- Bothell in 2021, achieving many merits along the way. Davis’ accolades include: the Mary Gates Research Scholar, 2021 Husky 100, 2022 Alumni of the Year, Grayson Day Fellowship, and the 2022 Homecoming Scholar. They then went on to earn a Masters of Public Health, Epidemiology – Maternal and Child Health from University of Washington (2023), as well as attaining Simkins Center Birth Doula Skills, Maternal and Child Health from Bastyr University (2024). They plan to pursue a Ph.D. to further address health disparities amongst marginalized populations, with a focus on how race and gender affect health outcomes.
In May 2023, Davis’ first research publication, “Racial and gender disparities among highly successful medical crowdfunding campaigns,” was featured in Social Science & Medicine, an international, peer-reviewed journal. Davis mentioned that their desire for research was a driving force in her deciding to attend University of Washington. They fully embraced this path understanding how interdisciplinary and comprehensive research leads to meaningful community, legislative, and social changes to address the health inequalities faced by marginalized communities. Reflecting on her work, they said: “The main takeaway that I really want people to get is that crowdfunding is not an arena that is free from the impact of social bias.” (Davis et al., 2023). This aligns with their other work addressing the social determinants of health that lead to injustices they seek to address.
Having experienced housing and food insecurity at a young age Davis saw just how important community support systems are. They sought to build said systems with their work at The Harm Reduction Research and Treatment (HaRRT) center at the University of Washington – Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Where they have held a variety of positions, starting in 2021 from researcher to their current position as Program Operations Specialist. In this role they get to fulfill their community focused ideals by developing programs beneficial to those in need, as well as working directly with community members. Since 2024 Davis has also served as a Board Member for Justice for Girls Coalition, a non-profit seeking to support and empower girls in adverse situations across Washington. This coalition started in order to help girls in juvenile justice and has expanded to help with housing, health access, mental health, among others.
Overall, Arron Davis is a truly inspirational Badass who does not shy away from fighting injustice, centering marginalized voices, and taking meaningful action to create a more just and equitable world. Starting at the local level to enact change, and exemplifying how community change can inspire activists across the globe.
