I grew up fascinated by living things but remained a lackluster student until my last year of of high school. The summer before it began, I’d completed a solo trek in the Sierra Nevada mountains. After returning home enthralled by nature, I started taking school seriously and got accepted to college, where I majored in zoology, with an ecological focus.
As years passed, I lost hold of my nature-inspired passion and gravitated toward biological disciplines considered more promising at the time. I enrolled in a graduate program to study biophysics and neuroscience. When my laboratory experiments proved 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. Despite having lost the compass that guided my initial academic success, I’d managed to find work that felt worthy and rewarding. Unfortunately, a deteriorating spine ended my career after only six years of practice. The stress of that setback triggered disabling psychiatric symptoms, which compounded my difficulties.
Following these ruptures, I pursued coursework in medical information technology, but mental and bodily challenges prevented me from completing the degree. I then spent two years lecturing about environmental health but was again tripped up by infirmities. I later learned medical acupuncture and opened a practice, with the same result.
As you can imagine, these experiences left me discouraged, even despairing. A wise psychiatrist advised me to double down on spiritual development. That advice carried me—over time—to clarity, compassion, and stability. It also 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