Cempa Community Care
Healing with a Holistic Approach
Dr. Michael Davis has treated infectious diseases regionally and around the globe – including a two-year stint as a teaching physician in Bomet, Kenya – but he’s proud to now call Chattanooga home. A health care provider at Cempa Community Care, Dr. Davis finds that the Cempa’s holistic and passionate approach to community health sets it apart. “Promoting health in our communities is so much more than knowing what medicine to prescribe, and Cempa has a unique ability to engage in community needs from the most fundamental, like food and shelter, to the most nuanced, like mental health,” he explains. His personal philosophy when it comes to patient care is built on the belief that all people are created in the image of God. “I’ve been called to heal, and to treat people as I would want to be treated.”
Much of what makes a person's life meaningful is beyond biochemistry, and serving people with this in mind is crucial to my practice of medicine."
My Credentials
Medical Degree:
East Tennessee State University – Johnson City, TN
Certifications:
Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease, American Board of Internal Medicine
Recognitions:
Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award, University of Tennessee College of Medicine at Chattanooga
My Specialties
Internal Medicine
Infectious Disease
Tropical Medicine
1. Why have you chosen this field of specialty?
I chose the field of infectious disease after visiting my girlfriend (now my wife) in Kenya in 2003. This was the peak of the mortality rate for HIV in that part of Sub-Saharan Africa. This was the area where I wanted to serve and how I felt my work could have the most impact.
2. How does your staff enhance your practice?
To promote health through comprehensive support services and patient-centered care means that only 10-20% of the care for a person is done by a physician. Our success at Cempa is built on the passion and commitment of the staff.
3. What is your best advice for patients?
Take ownership of your health – eat a balanced diet, get moderate physical exercise, and invest in meaningful relationships.
4. What do you see as the most exciting new development for your profession?
Our profession is changing and developing at a rapid pace, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. A community approach to health is on everyone’s mind, perhaps for the first time, as we make decisions about how best to protect ourselves, loved ones, and vulnerable populations.
5. What’s the key to making a great first impression?
First, focus your mind on the person in front of you. Then smile and communicate that you care, and that you want to know what the person in front of you wants from life, and develop a collaborative approach to get there.
- 423.265.2273
- 1000 East 3rd Street, Suite 300, Chattanooga, TN 37403
- cempa.org
