Dr. Cornelia (Connie) E. Davis—a trailblazing physician, public health leader and Lakeside resident since 2013—urged Gonzaga University’s Class of 2024 to embrace uncertainty and take bold risks, sharing how a six-month detour to India led her to help eradicate smallpox and launch a transformative global health career spanning 34 countries.
The award-winning epidemiologist, author, global health leader and proud alum of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington (1967) gave the commencement speech to 646 graduate students on May 10.
Dr. Davis was one of the first two African-American women admitted to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She has dedicated her life to international public health, working in countries across Africa and Asia. Among her many accomplishments, she played a pivotal role in eradicating smallpox in India with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Her extensive work has also included advising the president of Senegal and His Holiness the Dalai Lama on health issues, and leading global efforts to combat childhood diseases, malaria, hemorrhagic fever, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS through organizations such as WHO, UNICEF, and USAID.
In recognition of her lifetime of service, Dr. Davis was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at last week’s commencement ceremony.
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