“Xavier offered me the support I needed to get to Med school,” said Dr. Daniels.

While a student at Xavier, Dr. Daniels majored in Biology and minored in Chemistry. He credits Xavier with helping him be ready for the “next level” of his education. He says that the courses he took at Xavier prepared him for the course load he faced while pursuing his doctorate. 

It wasn’t just the academics of Xavier that helped shape his professional path. Dr. Daniels explains that his network from his days as a student at Xavier is still strong. He is still friends and colleagues with most of his classmates, many of whom are also doctors. Even now, he says that if he ever has a question he can easily call one of his classmates for advice.

As part of the class of 2006, Dr. Daniels and his peers were deeply affected by Katrina, and he has words of hope and wisdom for current students struggling amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Daniels stressed that just as the University and students overcame Katrina, Xavierites will overcome the pandemic. He is confident that the Xavier degree most certainly prepares students for the “next level” of their education or careers. 

“You might face adversity, but you keep pressing forward,” he said. 

After graduating from Xavier, Dr. Daniels pursued his doctorate at Howard University College of Medicine. After successfully earning his MD from Howard, he went on to receive his Masters of Public Health from George Washington University in 2015. He also earned the Joseph P. Bering Award for Excellence in Patient Care while a resident in the Penn State Family Medicine Residency Program. 

Currently, Dr. Daniels is a physician at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Actively involved with his community, Dr. Daniels has made several appearances on local news broadcasts to discuss health-related concerns. He has also co-authored several sports medicine papers. During the pandemic, his clinic has implemented telemedicine to protect patients and staff. He is optimistic that these new procedures will become a new facet of medical practice.

Dr. Daniels was first inspired to go into medicine after his grandmother, who took care of him, suffered a heart attack when he was eight years old. Though she recovered, she often had to return to the hospital. Dr. Daniels wanted to prevent other people’s grandmothers from needing to go to the hospital, but he found his calling while in college. As an athlete who played Basketball, he found himself drawn to sports medicine. He now enjoys being able to care for athletes of all ages and all walks of life.