I grew up in New York City and received a degree in cognitive science and psychology from Yale and a Master of Science in behavioral decision research from Carnegie Mellon. I spent several years doing research on how doctors and patients make decisions, with a focus on end of life issues and how people evaluate risk. After medical school at University of Pittsburgh, I completed my residency in primary care and social internal medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, where there was special training in how broader forces – social, psychological, environmental – dramatically affect health.