While I was born in Kansas, my childhood years were spent in the Willamette Valley of Oregon with my parents and brother. Because both of my parents grew up in the Midwest and we had extended family in the area, we frequently visited Iowa and Kansas. After graduating from high school, I attended Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon, where I earned BA’s in both psychology and piano performance with a minor in biology. I worked my way through college as a phlebotomist and EKG technician on weekends.
After college, I attended Portland State University where I received a Masters in Social Work in 1987. I then worked at a tertiary level hospital in Portland in the trauma center and eventually in spinal cord and head injury rehabilitation. In the fall of 1990, I moved to Iowa and joined The University of Iowa Hospitals Neurology Department.
I became interested in the PA profession through a friend of my wife’s and graduated from The University of Iowa PA Program in 1996 with a Master of Physician Assistant Studies. After spending 8 years in Bone Marrow Transplant, I joined the PA Program as Director of Clinical Education in June 2004, as well as continue to work on BMT one day per week. My wife Mary is a high school English teacher and we have two children, Ben and Liza. I enjoy playing with our kids, working on our house, gardening, fine dining, playing piano, golfing, traveling and working out.