I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. After high school, I attended college in California and spent a few years teaching high school biology after graduating from college. I did this through a program called Teach For America, which places recent college graduates in areas of need for teachers. I taught for 3 years in Pasadena, California. Although I loved this experience, I knew I wanted to be doctor, so I moved back to Oregon to attend medical school at Oregon Health & Sciences University. I met my wife while at OHSU. Following my family medicine residency in Washington, we decided to move back to Oregon to raise our family in the beautiful Willamette Valley.