Ciara E. Davis, PhD

Health Policy & Social Systems Strategist | Advancing Access & Safety-Net Systems | Scholar-Practitioner | PhD

Washington DC-Baltimore Area

About

I work at the intersection of health access, social safety-net systems, and public policy, guided by both lived experience and public service leadership. I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to live a safe, healthy, and empowered life—regardless of where they come from or how much they make—and I have built my career around strengthening the systems that make that possible. As a health and social services leader with a PhD in health policy, my work focuses on the systems and policy environments where access most often breaks down for vulnerable populations, including reproductive and adolescent health, safety-net programs, and health financing. I am most effective in complex, high-stakes environments where strategy, emotional intelligence, and systems thinking are essential. I am particularly drawn to translating policy into practice and making complexity understandable, actionable, and human. At my core, I am a strategist, an advocate, and a problem-solver. I am also a teacher and public scholar, committed to elevating issues that too often go unnoticed and ensuring that the experiences of underserved communities are represented where decisions are made. Everything I do is rooted in the belief that public systems should empower people through access, opportunity, dignity, and reliability.

Experience

  • HHS Office of Population Affairs (OPA) (Washington DC-Baltimore Area)
    • Director, Division of Policy & External Affairs
      Oct 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 9 mos

      Lead a multidisciplinary team advancing national policy strategy, communications, and stakeholder engagement across federal maternal, reproductive, and adolescent health programs, including Title X Family Planning, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, and Embryo Adoption Awareness. Selected as a 2024–2025 Excellence in Government Fellow through a highly competitive agency-wide process for advanced executive leadership development.

    • Health Policy Analyst, Division of Policy & External Affairs
      Mar 2023 - Oct 2023 · 8 mos

      Advised senior leadership through cross-sector policy analysis, legislative and judicial monitoring, and national stakeholder coordination to inform strategic direction for reproductive and adolescent health initiatives.

    • Acting Director & Project Officer, Title X Family Planning Service Delivery Division
      Nov 2021 - Mar 2023 · 1 yr 5 mos

      Led national oversight of Title X program implementation across state agencies, health systems, and community-based providers, advising federal leadership on program performance, access challenges, and emerging policy risks impacting access and service delivery.

  • Policy Coordinator, Immediate Office of the HHS Secretary at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
    Jan 2019 - Nov 2021 · 2 yrs 11 mos

    Led executive-level policy and regulatory coordination across multiple HHS operating and staff divisions, including OASH, ACF, ACL, SAMHSA, ASPE, and IHS, spanning child welfare, aging and disability services, behavioral health, tribal health, family assistance, and cross-cutting public health initiatives. Played a key role in the Department’s enterprise-wide COVID-19 response and received the HHS Secretary’s Award for Distinguished Service for leading the Department’s Regulatory Reform Task Force.

  • Health Insurance Specialist (Presidential Management Fellow) at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
    Jun 2016 - Dec 2018 · 2 yrs 7 mos

    Selected as a Presidential Management Fellow through a highly competitive national process, coordinated cross-center Medicaid and CHIP policy to strengthen national program operations and implementation across state, local, and managed care systems. Received the CMS Administrator’s Operational Excellence Award for leading process modernization initiatives.

  • Program Examiner (Presidential Management Fellow Rotation), Health Division, Medicare Branch at Office of Management and Budget
    Jun 2017 - Dec 2017 · 7 mos

    Selected as a Presidential Management Fellow on rotation with the Office of Management and Budget, conducted federal budget and regulatory analysis for Medicare and national public health programs, supporting executive decision-making on major health system investments and contributing to development of the President’s Budget.