Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis

Dr. Matifadza (Mati) Hlatshwayo Davis, MD, MPH, FIDSA, was appointed Director of Health for the City of St. Louis in 2021. She is an internationally recognized infectious diseases physician and an expert on public health and health equity. 

Dr. Hlatshwayo Davis earned her medical degree from the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and a Master’s in Public Health from Case Western Reserve University. She then completed her internal medicine residency at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Dr. Hlatshwayo Davis went on to complete her Infectious Diseases fellowship, subspecializing in HIV and STIs, at the Washington University School of Medicine, also completing a one-year dedicated non-ACGME HIV fellowship and a two-year dedicated Sexually Transmitted Infection fellowship. In September 2023, she was elected as a Fellow of the Infectious Disease Society of America (FIDSA), an honor that recognizes individuals who have achieved professional excellence and provided significant service to the profession of infectious diseases. 

Prior to her appointment as Director of Health, Dr. Hlatshwayo Davis previously served as a Clinical Instructor, Associate Program Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases fellowship program, and in the Office of Inclusion and Diversity leadership at the Washington University of St. Louis School of Medicine. She was also an infectious diseases physician at the John Cochran VA Medical Center, where she was the Lead HIV Clinician, Graduate Medical Education Coordinator, and Outpatient Parenteral Antibiotic Therapy supervisor. 

Recent highlights of her leadership as Director of Health include: 

• Leading a nationally recognized COVID-19 response, which was lauded by President Biden in 2022 
• Establishing the Health Department’s first Behavioral Health Bureau Implementing critical infrastructure and rebuilding the Fiscal Bureau with an innovative, first-ever partnership using an accounting firm; and 
• Has grown the Department of Health by over 31% during her tenure 

Dr. Hlatshwayo Davis’ recent accolades include receiving the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) Society Citation Award, a recognition of exemplary contributions in the field of infectious diseases. She also serves on the IDSA Board of Directors, is an Associate Editor for Disparities and Competent Care for IDSA, and is the Executive Producer and Co-host for IDSA’s “Let’s Talk” podcast. She has been invited to speak at more than 90 lectures, conferences, and organizations across the nation and has received more than 20 awards in recent years.