2023 Keynote Title: Dedication, Determination, and Discipline
Sampson Davis, MD, ER physician and New York Times best-selling author, speaks about his experiences, his advocacy of preventative medicine, and his promotion of healthier communities throughout the nation. With dedication, determination, and discipline, he tells audiences anything is possible—from personal health, and academic and career goals to building strong organizations or communities where all people can thrive.
Dr. Sampson Davis - Emergency Physician, TV Personality, and Humanitarian
Dr. Sampson Davis
Dr. Sampson Davis was raised as the fifth of six children in Newark, one of New Jersey's poorest cities. As a child, Dr. Davis grew up in cramped living quarters, surrounded by fragmented families, crime, and drugs. Still, he was a good student, able to strike the fragile balance between being smart and socially acceptable on the streets. It was this combination of skills, Dr. Davis says, that was most critical to his survival. While attending University High School in Newark, Dr. Davis met Dr. Rameck Hunt and Dr. George Jenkins, two fellow students who together made a promise to become doctors. Dr. Davis and his two childhood friends each successfully fulfilled their pact and today Dr. Davis is a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician.
Dr. Davis has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows including Oprah, The Today Show, Dr. Oz, Anderson Cooper 360, The View, Tavis Smiley, and NPR as well as print publications including but not limited to Readers Digest, O Magazine, People, Washington Post, NY Times, USA Today, Parade and Black Enterprise.
Ms. Winfrey also delivered the highest honor naming Dr. Davis, “The Premiere Role Model of the World.” In 2021, Dr. Davis received Seton Hall University’s highest honor being named with their Most Distinguished Alumnus award. Dr. Davis was additionally honored in 2000 with the Essence Lifetime Achievement Award and named one of the forty most inspirational African Americans in the country. He is the youngest physician to receive the National Medical Association’s highest honor, The Scroll of Merit, and was previously honored at the 2009 BET Awards.
Dr. Davis is also the author of "Living & Dying in Brick City--An E.R. Doctor Returns Home," which discusses Dr. Davis' riveting experiences as an ER physician. The book offers preventative guidance as a means of supporting healthier communities.
In 2018 Dr. Davis co-authored "The Stuff: Unlock Your Power to Overcome Challenges, Soar, and Succeed" with Sharlee Jeter. Everyone has the strength to overcome any obstacle. This inner fortitude is what we refer to as "the stuff." This message burns brightly within Dr. Davis, who has long been fascinated by individuals who thrive in spite of life’s harshest trials.
Today Dr. Davis spends his time practicing medicine and traveling the country delivering keynote speeches with timely messages. Dr. Davis believes it is important to give education a sense of style and fashion. To glorify and glamorize education is the key. A face must be present, a concrete image that all individuals across America can draw inspiration from. Dr. Davis considers his 3 D’s—Dedication, Determination, and Discipline—as the necessary ingredients for success.
Dr. Davis received his bachelor’s degree from Seton Hall University, his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and completed his residency in Emergency Medicine at the same hospital where he was born, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.
Today, Dr. Davis is a Board-Certified Emergency Medicine Physician at several emergency departments in New Jersey. He has been a weekly correspondent on the Tom Joyner Morning Radio Show and CNN where he highlights prevalent and life-changing medical topics.
Dr. Davis has also co-authored three New York Times bestselling books entitled The Pact, We Beat the Street, and The Bond.