[8] In 1999 Davis began working with the Partners AIDS Research Center at MGH, dealing with community outreach and HIV treatment in South Africa.

[5] In 2003, Sheila Davis and Chris Shaw from MGH founded Sibusiso, a Boston-based, non-profit organization that helps provide medical support to communities in South Africa.

[9][1] Originally focusing on malnutrition and rural nursing clinics,[1] its programs expanded to support HIV/AIDS patients in areas with poor healthcare access.

She advocates for human rights, social justice and protection from genocide, emphasizing the important role that can be played by nurse practitioners.

[6] In 2012, Davis was chosen as an Executive Nurse Fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a three-year fellowship focusing on national health care strategy.

[5][11] She led the Ebola Response Team in West Africa from 2014 to 2016, and later helped to rebuild health services in Liberia and Sierra Leone.