2025 Catalyst for Change Award

Many people get their medical treatment at doctors’ offices and hospitals, but for those who can’t get there, Loletia Davis ’13 BSN, ’17 MS has made it her mission to bring lifesaving healthcare services directly to the community.

A clinical nurse specialist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, Davis spends her time caring for patients. She is a CNS who makes organizational decisions and changes to impact patients care. But Davis translates these skills into the community by identifying needs in the population. She works with local organizations to provide free healthcare screenings and education to thousands of people.

Through her community outreach, Davis strives to reach people of all backgrounds where they live, work and gather. She brings mobile clinics to neighborhoods and joins community organizations to host health and wellness fairs, where she and her partners offer free healthcare screenings and educate people on how to get and stay healthy.

The health fairs take place across Central Ohio in churches, community centers and at the Ohio Expo Center. Davis and other Ohio State staff recently participated in Uplift Her, a yearly event for Women of Color that draws 5,000 people annually.

“It was monumental,’” says Davis. “We provided mammograms and pap smears and did more than 3,000 screening tests for Central Ohio women.” These healthcare screenings can help identify cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases. For those who needed treatment, Davis and her team linked people to follow-up care.

“That’s my biggest goal when we do community events — not providing a one-stop shop for a day but providing continuing care,” she says.

Davis says it’s important to listen to people with empathy and to uncover healthcare barriers. “Some people might miss a doctor’s appointment because they had to take three buses to get there, or they’re busy caring for an elderly parent.” By learning each person’s story, Davis can connect them to the best local resources.

And Davis knows who to call, thanks to her community partners, which include the Columbus Public Health, Franklin County Public Health, the African American Male Wellness Agency and other Ohio hospital systems.

As rewarding as she finds her community work, Davis loves all aspects of her job, mainly caring for cancer patients in the critical care unit at the James and mentoring the next generation of nurses and healthcare providers. Colleagues say they value her 39 years of experience at several Ohio State hospitals.

Whether she is at the James or in the community, Davis has one goal. “I want to provide patients with knowledge and resources so they can take charge of their health and ensure nurses have scientifically based and up-to-date research, practice, innovations, interventions, and procedures, to drive positive change in healthcare delivery and outcomes.”