Bio
I was born and raised in a small New Mexico town named Las Cruces. I was just a regular kid with many jobs from bank teller, janitor, farm hand, to selling pecans and hay. During high school and college I excelled at the position of goalie for my local soccer teams and even had the pleasure of coaching my high school's JV team (they went undefeated that season). During college my competitive soccer days were cut short with a trip to the operating room for a severe back injury I suffered while playing against Arizona State University. At this point I focused most of my energy on my schooling at New Mexico State University and decided a career in medicine was the path for me.
As time progressed I became involved in various activities including being a donor for MEDISEND, and then going on medical mission trips with Healing the Children. Throughout my medical school and to this day I continue these medical mission trips. This is a major passion of mine. The pathology that we correct is impressive, everything from clubfoot to congenitally missing bones. One of the cases that I was fortunate enough to help with showed up on the show Ripley's Believe it or Not (he was the case of the Gigantic foot). What is more impressive, is the spirit and attitude of these children. I never fail to learn a new life lesson on each trip. The amazing thing is that my teacher is usually a five year old. The subject matter is usually morality, faith, appreciation, acceptance, and maturity.
I completed my surgical residency at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco. Throughout my training, I worked in many facilities including San Francisco General Hospital, Seton Medical Center, Highland Hospital, Kaiser San Francisco, CPMC, and of course, Kaiser Santa Rosa. I joined the Kaiser Santa Rosa team directly out of residency. I chose to work here for many reasons. Not only are my colleagues amazing surgeons/physicians but they are amazing people as well. I am particularly excited in that Kaiser is an environment where I can treat the patient with only one motivation. To make my patient feel better. I don't have to worry about finances or pre-approval from a medical insurance agent sitting at a desk hundreds of miles away who has never met my patient. I like knowing that I am going to be paid the same regardless of how I treat you. Which means, I get to treat you with your health being my only concern.
As I am settling in to Santa Rosa I hope to begin some new hobbies once again. I have always dreamed of becoming a pilot and hope to fulfill this dream at the Charles Schultz airport. Additionally, I am sure you will be able to find me at the local soccer fields. Who knows, maybe I will be able to find a team to be a goalkeeper coach.
I hope this page has given you at least a small insight of who I am. I look forward to meeting you and I would be honored to be allowed to help you with the management of your foot and ankle.
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