My path to neurosurgery

My path to becoming a neurosurgeon was not traditional—and that experience continues to shape how I care for patients and live my life.

Early years

I grew up in a beautiful small city along the Hudson River called Beacon, NY, which is about 1 hour north of New York City. We lived near Tallix Art Foundry, where many of my family members including my father worked. I worked there during and after high school as a laborer and as an assistant to a sculptor.

Service and early college education

I enlisted in the United States Navy in 2002 and served as an avionics technician working on F-14 fire control RADAR equipment. I spent a total of 18 months at sea during my 5 year enlistment, including a deployment to the Persian Gulf during Operation Enduring Freedom. That experience taught me discipline, work ethic, accountability, and how to handle pressure – which I believe were skills that got me through residency and serve me to this day. The Navy gave me the motivation to go back to school, which I started in 2004 with a single engineering class. In 2007, I completed an associates degree in engineering from Tidewater Community College.

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional education

After military service and community college, I returned to school using the G.I. Bill while active in the Army Reserve. I was admitted to the University of Virginia, where I earned a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering. Although I never worked as an engineer, this rigorous program changed the way I approach problem solving in all aspects of my life. Medical school was completed at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA. Along the way, I complete master’s degrees in health administration and clinical investigation, again never working in these fields, but taking away valuable lessons I use daily.

Residency training and early practice

I completed neurosurgery residency at Washington University in St. Louis in 2021, where I trained in both complex cranial and spine surgery. My principle mentors were Drs. Michael Chicoine, Albert Kim, Eric Leuthardt, Paul Santiago, and Zach Ray. I started at STL MISC on August 1, 2021, and have been luck enough to become partners with excellent surgeons including Drs. Kurt Eichholz and Robert Morgan, with Dr. Todd Stewart joining in 2024.

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