David Smith

Davey Smith, MD, MAS, is an infectious disease specialist and translational research virologist. In his translational research, he uses basic science techniques to answer clinically relevant questions. Dr. Smith’s primary research involves both figuring out how to stop the transmission of HIV and curing HIV, and he has published over 200 scientific publications in these areas. In 2010, Dr. Smith was named HIV Researcher of the Year by the HIV Medical Association, and he became the co-director and principal investigator of the San Diego Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) in 2016.

Since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in 2019, Dr. Smith has been actively engaged in the international effort to find safe and effective treatments. In particular, he is the international protocol chair for the ACTIV-2 treatment study, which is a part of the US government’s Operation Warp Speed. This study is designed to find effective therapies for persons with early COVID-19.

Dr. Smith graduated from East Tennessee State University School of Medicine in 1996. He completed his internship, residency and chief residency in Internal Medicine at UC San Diego and stayed to complete his fellowship in Infectious Diseases. He joined the UC San Diego faculty in 2003, and was promoted to full professor in 2012. In 2017, he was promoted to Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at UC San Diego. In 2020, he was appointed the Florence Seeley Riford Chair in AIDS Research at UC San Diego. He has been elected as a fellow to the American Society of Clinical Investigation, American College of Physicians, and Infectious Diseases Society of America.