I was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and raised in Tualatin, Oregon. After high school I moved to Seattle and received a degree in microbiology from the University of Washington. I then spent a year performing air-quality research for the EPA before beginning medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. After my medical training, I completed my residency in orthopedic surgery at Pennsylvania State University. There I served as chief resident and participated in relief efforts in Haiti immediately after the earthquake there. I subsequently completed a fellowship in shoulder and elbow reconstruction at William Beaumont Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. While there, I authored several studies on complex shoulder reconstruction and participated in the care of the Detroit Lions professional football team.