President's Lecture Series
St. Philip's College President's Lecture Series
The St. Philip’s College President’s Lecture Series provides opportunities for the college and the community to hear speakers’ perspectives on a broad range of local, regional, national and international issues. The lectures are provided at no cost to the audience and are designed to attract students, faculty, and staff as well as the greater San Antonio Community.
The Three Doctors: Motivators - September 19, 2019, 11 a.m., Watson Fine Arts Center
Drs. Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins, fondly known as “The Three Doctors,” are extraordinary role models for anyone who has been through any kind of life challenge or major hardship. As teenage boys growing up on the tough inner-city streets of Newark, New Jersey, these three kindred spirits made a pact: they would stick together, go to college, graduate, and become doctors. Surrounded by negative influences and having few positive role models made this a difficult feat. Now, years later, these three men have overcome countless obstacles and proudly bear the subtitle of doctor, serving as the face of health and education for youth and families across our country.
Having grown up in the streets of Newark, The Three Doctors know firsthand the pressures and struggles of life in the inner city and how difficult it can be going at it alone. Determined not to become victims of their environment, the trio stood firm in their mission and together became one of the most remarkable success stories of inspiration, dedication, and determination. The Three Doctors are frequently asked about their formula for becoming prominent, successful men. While there are numerous factors that played a role in their success, there are particular guidelines that The Three Doctors have and continue to live by to this day. This includes “learning patience,” especially in a world where many have come to want—and expect—instant gratification and success. They urge people to trust self-reliance and inner strength in developing a strategic plan for carrying out long-term goals in life.
Today, Dr. Hunt is a board-certified internist at University Medical Center at Princeton and assistant professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Jenkins serves as assistant professor of clinical dentistry at Columbia University. Dr. Davis is a board-certified emergency medicine physician at St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.
The Three Doctors have also authored three inspiring books about their lives: The Pact, for adults; We Beat the Streets, for children; and The Bond, which highlights fatherhood relationships. The Three Doctors also find time to give back to the community through their nonprofit organization, The Three Doctors Foundation, which recently celebrated its 11th year of offering free health, education, and mentoring programs for youth and families in the New York/New Jersey area.
The Three Doctors were honored by the National Civil Rights Museum in 2012, received the prestigious Essence Award in 2000 for their accomplishments and leadership, and were awarded a BET Honors Award in 2009. They have been featured medical experts for the “Tom Joyner Morning Show” as well as CNN news. The Three Doctors continue to make numerous television appearances in support of their message of health, education, and youth mentoring. This includes their past appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, during which Ms. Winfrey remarked, “You guys are bigger than rock stars! I think you guys are the premier role models of the world!”
Topics:
- The Pact
- Learning Patience
- Never Underestimate the Power of Self-Reliance & Inner Strength
- Devising a Strategy for Achieving Your Goals
Meet the Doctors
Sampson Davis, Physician & Inspirational Leader
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 yet socially acceptable on the streets. It was this combination of skills, Dr. Davis says, that were 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 talk and radio 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 Models of the World”.
Dr. Davis was honored in 2000 with the Essence Lifetime Achievement Award and also named one of their 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 on 2009 BET Awards.
Dr. Davis is also 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 will also offer preventative guidance as a means of supporting healthier communities.
In 2018 Dr. Davis co-authored the Stuff with Sharlee Jeter. Everyone has the strength to overcome any obstacle. This inner fortitude is what we refer to as the STUFF. The STUFF will help you discover the hidden strengths within yourself. This message burns brightly within the STUFF founders Dr. Sampson Davis and Sharlee Jeter. They’ve long been fascinated by individuals who thrive in spite of life’s harshest trials and for good reason: they’ve lived it.
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 to success.
Graduating with honors, 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 highlighted prevalent and life-changing medical topics. Dr. Davis has also co-authored three New York Times best-selling books entitled The Pact, We Beat the Street and The Bond.
In 2000 during his residency, Dr. Davis along with his best friends felt the burning need to give back to communities in need, and together created The Three Doctors Foundation. This non-profit organization offers a series of free public programs focused upon health, education, leadership and mentoring.
Topics:
- Living & Dying in Brick City: An ER Doctor Returns Home