Samantha Kerester, MD

Dr. Kerester is a Clinical Assistant Professor at SUNY Downstate. She earned her medical degree with Distinction in Service to the Community from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and completed her residency at NYU Langone/Bellevue Hospital. During residency, she championed opioid harm reduction initiatives and advocated for expanded access to contraception in the emergency department. She also served as Advocacy Chief, fostering resident engagement in hospital-based social justice efforts. Following graduation, she joined the faculty at SUNY Downstate, where she continues to focus on addressing health care disparities and providing care to vulnerable patient populations in the emergency department.

Education

• Undergraduate Education: University of Pennsylvania
• Medical School: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
• Internship: NYU Langone/Bellevue Hospital
• Residency: NYU Langone/Bellevue Hospital

Research Interests

• Reproductive and sexual health
• Asylum medicine
• Substance use disorder
• Science and health education in public schools