As a native of Chicago, Illinois, he completed Undergraduate Studies and Medical School at the University of Illinois, Urbana/Champaign. He completed a residency in Emergency Medicine at the Ohio State University (1993-1996). After residency, he served as the assistant director of the emergency department in Lima, Ohio for 3 years while serving as part-time faculty at OSU. In 2000 he joined the department at OSU as a full-time faculty member. He is board-certified in Emergency Medicine and Hyperbaric Medicine. In addition to emergency medicine and hyperbarics, he completed advanced training in wound care and is certified by the Council for Medical Education and Testing. He does wound care at the Ohio State Comprehensive Wound Center.