As teenage boys growing up in the tough inner-city streets of Newark, three kindred spirits made a pact-- they would stick together, graduate from college and become doctors.

The boys, surrounded by negative influences and having few positive role models, were determined not to fall victim to their environment and together the teens became a remarkable story of beating the streets.

Today, Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt and George Jenkins are all medical doctors and known fondly by many as “The Three Doctors.”

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The three, all graduates of Newark Public Schools, act as role models and mentors through the Three Doctors Foundation, a nonprofit organization offering free health, education and mentoring programs for youth and families in the NY/NJ area.

In partnership with NPS’s Office of Expanded Learning Time, the foundation held its annual Mentor’s Day program this past Saturday at Newark’s University High School, where students in grades 6-12 were invited to take part in a day of mentoring, learning and inspiration.

Hunt, an internist at University Medical Center at Princeton and assistant professor of medicine at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School; Jenkins, an assistant professor of clinical dentistry at Columbia University; and Davis, an emergency medicine physician at several emergency departments in New Jersey, joined hundreds of mentors and mentees from all over the tri-state area who signed on to participate in the full-day program.

The Mentor’s Day program speaks directly to the motto of the foundation: “Our children cannot aspire to be what they cannot see.” The program pairs students ages 10-18 with mentors from a variety of career fields, who share their educational and career expertise and help students set realistic life goals.

The foundation was inspired by an encounter years ago between Jenkins, then 13, and a dental student intern.





“I had some extremely crooked teeth growing up and my mom attempted to explore opportunities for orthodontic treatment,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins’ mother, a struggling single mom, ended up taking her young son to a dental school program, where students saw patients at reduced rates.

“The resident was really a special guy,” Jenkins said. “He took the time to inform me about what he was doing and he would quiz me between visits. After that, I walked around saying I wanted to be a dentist. I think I really had an affinity for the profession because of that person, combined with some early lessons from teachers and my boys’ club in the Central Ward.”

These early encounters with mentors and role models changed the course of his life, Jenkins said.

“Having that in the back of my head shaped my behavior in the neighborhood,” Jenkins said. “I resisted the negative peer pressure. When you have a goal, you’re just confident enough to do that. Many of my early teachers taught me that yes, I grew up in that environment but that didn’t control where we were. I never resigned myself.”

Determined to get to dental school, Jenkins stayed focused on that goal while attending University High School and made a pact with Hunt and Davis that somehow, together, they would make something of themselves and prove the naysayers and statistics wrong.

Sharing the same drive and determination, the three became each other’s primary support system, with Jenkins convincing his two friends that they, too, should pursue careers in medicine.

Together, the three attended Seton Hall University’s Pre-Medicine/Pre-Dental Plus program, specifically designed to encourage minority students to pursue medical careers.

Despite many social and financial hardships, the three persevered and continued on together to the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) and one step closer to becoming doctors.

Newark Public Schools Superintendent Christopher Cerf lauded the doctors for sharing their inspiring message with successive generations of NPS students.

“Dr.’s Hunt, Jenkins and Davis have used their education from Newark Public Schools and created tremendously successful careers,” Cerf said. “The 'Three Doctors' represent the best of NPS. We are grateful they continue to share their story and inspire other students to be their very best.”

The doctors knew that their success could serve as an inspiration to others and decided to use that chance encounter with a young intern so many years ago as a catalyst for paying it forward.

Andrew Wildman, a first-year dental student at Rutgers University-Newark who signed up as a mentor for the program, said that as a minority, he made it a point to be a part of the initiative.

“I came out to tell kids they have lots of options, and to give them some words of advice,” Wildman said.

Avery Wilson, a second-year dental student, also at Rutgers-Newark, attended University High School and said that as a child, he had the opportunity to hear the three doctors speak to him.

“I want to give words of encouragement and advice to the mentees and to help in any way I can,” he said. “All three doctors spoke to me when I was a kid, and I want to form my own ‘Three Doctors’ foundation.”

Mentor Ginny Barro, who has a doctorate in information technology, said that role models she had as a girl growing up in Jersey City changed the course of her life.

“I’m an inner-city kid,” Barro said. “With the support I received, I was able to become someone and have a happy, fulfilling life. I’ve been following and supporting the Three Doctors Foundation for a long time. I really believe in their cause. Just because you’re born somewhere doesn’t mean that needs to be your condition.”

Davis, Hunt and Jenkins have authored several books, including “The Pact,” which reached the top of the New York Times’ best seller list and has become required reading in many high schools.

The three have also received myriad honors, including Essence and BET awards, and have been featured medical experts for the Tom Joyner Morning Radio Show and CNN news.

Davis recently released a new book, “Living and Dying in Brick City,” which provides a glimpse inside the inner workings of an urban emergency room, while offering practical health advice for urban communities.

The doctors continue to make numerous television appearances in support of their message of health, education and youth mentoring, including an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show, and travel worldwide to spread their inspiring message.

Jenkins said he doesn’t think much about the attention and accolades he has received.

“God is real clever because I don’t even pay attention to it,” he said. “Sometimes I look back and know that I achieved things, but not in a celebrity kind of way. I want to help raise the next generation of dentists. I'm doing exactly what that orthodontist did for me and using it as a tool to give back. I have no time to rest on my laurels because I always find another kid who needs my help.”