WHO IS DR. SUNITA SAH?
Dr. Sunita Sah investigates what makes us comply. She is a bestselling author, a seasoned public speaker, an award-winning organizational psychologist, and tenured professor at Cornell University who has conducted groundbreaking research on defiance, advice, and influence.
A trained physician, she practiced medicine in the United Kingdom and worked as a management consultant for the pharmaceutical industry. She currently teaches executives, leaders, and students in healthcare and business. Dr. Sah is the bestselling author of Defy, a sought-after international speaker and consultant, advisor to government agencies, and former Commissioner of the National Commission on Forensic Science. Her multidisciplinary research and analyses have been widely published in leading academic journals and media entities including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American.
DEFY PRESS RELEASE
DEFY: The Power Of No In A World That Demands Yes
“A POWERFUL TRANSFORMATIVE READ”
—Daniel H. Pink
“A MUST READ FOR ALL”
—Robert B. Cialdini
“A CULTURE SHIFTING MANIFESTO”
—Jonah Berger
“A POWERFUL BOOK”
—Adam Grant
MORE ABOUT SUNITA
Dr. Sah is a professor, author, speaker, and consultant who helps executives and leaders make key decisions, think critically, negotiate, and transform their organizations.
Speaker
Dr. Sah engages audiences across business, healthcare, and academia with her inspiring and insightful talks. She delivers keynotes and workshops on various topics, including decision-making, critical thinking, leadership, defiance, and negotiation skills. She has given hundreds of invited talks to businesses, governments, and academic institutions worldwide.
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Morgan Stanley’s Women in Leadership Summit
Rotman Lifelong Learning Conference
National Conference of State Legislatures
International Behavioural Public Policy Conference
London School of Economics Graduation Event
Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) Annual Forum
Association of American Medical Colleges
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The National Academies of Sciences
US Securities and Exchange Commission
Cambridge University Disinformation Summit
Weill Cornell Medicine
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Australia
Harvard Kennedy School
Wharton School of Management
RAND Behavioral Finance Forum
Consultant
Dr. Sah uses her expertise to inform and advise organizations, businesses, and governments on managing conflicts of interest and improving decision-making and negotiating skills with critical thinking and better leadership.
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Advising UK Government Open Innovation Team and Policy Profession Unit
Serving as a Commissioner of the National Commission on Forensic Science for the US Department of Justice
Expert for Ohio Public Defender’s office in a death row case on the validity, reliability, and biases of Forensic Science
Expert for US Department of Justice on a national healthcare fraud case on industry gifts to physicians that resulted in one of the largest healthcare fraud settlements in US history at $2.2 billion
Advising US Securities and Exchange Commission
Advising Australian Government’s Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation, and Financial Services Industry on pervasive conflicts of interest
Author
Dr. Sah helps people reclaim their agency and defy the forces that keep us silent and compliant.
Order DEFY: The Power of No In A World That Demands Yes
Dr. Sah’s definitive book examining how to defy and spreak up when it matters.
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New York Times and Los Angeles Times op-eds on Speaking Up, Disclosure, and resisting bad advice
Harvard Business Review articles on returning to the office and how consumers treat missing information
Scientific American articles on Conflicts of Interest and COVID and on Forensic Science
Fortune and The New Republic pieces on prosecutor bias and blinding policies in the justice system
Plus many more outlets including Forbes, Psychology Today,and The Conversation
Researcher
Dr. Sah is an award-wining interdisciplinary scholar who studies defiance, advice, and influence with the aim of improving outcomes and mitigating inequalities in healthcare and society.
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Director of Cornell University’s Academic Leadership Institute
Professor at Cornell University’s SC Johnson Graduate School of Management
Honorary Fellow at University of Cambridge’s Judge Business School
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Ph.D. and M.S. in Organizational Behavior from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper Business School
Executive MBA with Distinction from London Business School
MBChB (M.D.) in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Edinburgh
BSc (Hons) in Psychology from the University of Edinburgh
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UK HM Government Letter of Recognition from the Open Innovation Team (2023)
Mid-Career Achievement Award, Health Care Management, Academy of Management (2022)
Diversity and Inclusion Initiative Award, Wharton Center for Leadership and Change Management (2021)
Russell Sage Foundation Scholar and Researcher Fellowships (2019-2021)
Cornell research fellowship awards including: Institute of Social SciencesFellowship (2018–2019), Balen Sesquicentennial Faculty Fellowship (2015-2020), and the Half-Century Club Faculty Research Fellowship (2017-2019)
US Department of Justice Certificate of Recognition for Service on the National Commission of Forensic Science (2017)
Multiple Best Paper Awards from the Academy of Management and the International Academy of Management and Business
Find all Dr. Sah’s peer-reviewed and academic publications on Google Scholar.