I was born and raised in West Virginia. I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Sociology with honors from The University of Chicago and returned home to WV for medical school at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University. I completed residency at University of Massachusetts – Baystate where I was also Chief Resident. I then went on to complete a Pediatric Critical Care fellowship at the University of Michigan where I also completed a post-doctoral research fellowship with the Center for History, Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Ethics in Medicine (CHHASSEM). I currently hold a dual appointment in the Department of Pediatrics and the Center for Bioethics and Humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University where I work as a Pediatric Intensivist and Clinical Ethics Consultant.  I have a research focus in shared decision-making and devote significant time to medical student and resident education.