I grew up fascinated by living things but remained a lackluster student until my last year of of high school. In the summer prior to my senior year, I completed a solo trek in the Sierra Nevada mountains. I returned home enthralled by nature and ecology. I buckled down and got accepted to college, where I majored in zoology.
As years passed, my interests gravitated toward more technical fields. After college I enrolled in a graduate program to study biophysics and neuroscience. When the laboratory work proved too isolating and frustrating, I entered medical school and—eventually—became a surgeon.
After finishing my training, I joined a large HMO where I performed oculofacial surgery, specializing in skin cancer around the eyes. Unfortunately, spine problems ended my career after only six years. The stress of that setback triggered disabling psychiatric symptoms, which compounded my difficulties.
Following these ruptures, I pursued coursework in medical information technology, but poor health prevented me from working in the field. I then spent two years lecturing about environmental health but was again tripped up by bodily and mental infirmity.
A wise psychiatrist advised me to focus on furthering my spiritual development. Taking her advice set me on a healthier path and eventually led to Mindful Biology.
List of biomedical education programs:
- BA, Department of Zoology, University of California, Berkeley
- MA, Department of Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley
- MD, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco
- Internal Medicine Internship, New York Medical College
- Ophthalmology Residency, University of California, San Francisco
- Ocular Oncology Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco
- Ocular Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship, University of California, San Francisco