He has twice received the Golden Apple Award from the 2nd year medical students for best instructor as well as the local Portrait Award for best support. Previously, he was the Deputy State Medical Examiner for Montana (2005-2015) and Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (2003-2005), where, in each of his two years as faculty, he received an Outstanding Teacher award from the 2nd year medical students. He is a graduate of Creighton University School of Medicine (MD, 1997) and University of Montana (PhD, Anthropology, 2014). Born and raised in Montana, he attended Carroll College, after the Air Force Academy rejected his application when they learned that he lacked a functional interphalangeal joint in his right thumb.