Fellow Spotlight: ‌Davis Kimaiyo, MD

Davis Kimaiyo, MD, grew up in Mombasa, Kenya, where his experience with malaria sparked his curiosity about medicine. “I wondered, how could a small mosquito cause so much harm and pain?” he remembered. At age 20 he moved to California, putting himself through college working full-time with dementia patients as a nursing assistant and medical technician at a senior living facility. He earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from UCLA and his medical degree from the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.

He completed internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, developing a research interest in the interplay of hypertension and heart failure, particularly among minority groups. A committed medical educator, Dr. Kimaiyo also founded the MGH Journal Club, engaged in peer tutoring, and worked to increase diversity among medical trainees. At UCSF, one fellowship highlight has been the collegial environment at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where he worked with trauma surgeons, neurosurgeons and others in caring for patients.

“I want to become an academic cardiologist who takes care of patients with advanced heart failure, while also conducting research about how to prevent hypertension from leading to heart failure, particularly among minority groups,” said Dr. Kimaiyo. Besides medicine, he enjoys cycling, cooking, and hiking with his partner, who is also a UCSF physician.