What is your hometown?

Sumter, South Carolina

When did you join the UI faculty?

2002

How/when did you become interested in science and medicine?

I knew I wanted to be a doctor in junior high school, and I was always interested in pediatrics. Both of my parents worked in public health-related careers, so I grew up with a broader understanding of health care than just going to see the doctor.

What interested you to pursue a career in pediatrics and sports medicine?

I knew from volunteer experiences in college that working in pediatrics, especially adolescents, would be very rewarding. Sports medicine allowed me to blend a favorite pastime with a career in a relatively new field, as there are only about 100 pediatricians fellowship-trained in sports medicine.

Is there a teacher or mentor who helped shape your career?

I have had the fortune of several great teachers/mentors who have given me support and set a great example for my career at each institution where I have trained or worked (James Stallworth, MD - South Carolina; Rebecca Collins, MD - Kentucky; Claibourne Dungy, MD - Iowa).

How or why did you choose the UI?

When I came here, both Pediatrics and Sports Medicine were looking to expand. I had an immediate opportunity to create a new clinical service, build partnerships with community organizations, and provide leadership in both pediatrics and sports medicine at state and national levels.

What kinds of professional opportunities or advantages does being a faculty member at Iowa provide? What about challenges?

Being part of a well-renowned institution like the University of Iowa, as well as a nationally ranked Children's Hospital, opens many doors for collaboration and professional development. My work with colleagues at the Injury Prevention Research Center in the College of Public Health illustrates the "outside-the-box" type of creativity that takes place when there are multiple centers of excellence to facilitate relationships.

Please describe your professional interests.

My clinical practice includes general pediatrics and sports medicine. I am actively involved in child health policy and advocacy through my work on the Johnson County Empowerment Board and as Vice-President of the Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

What are some of your outside interests?

I enjoy music, literature, and almost any type of sporting activity. I am very involved with my church. Most importantly, I enjoy spending free time with my wife and children, ages 3-1/2 and 1-1/2.

Do you have an insight or philosophy that guides you in your professional work?

Every opportunity that I have to make a positive contribution - caring for a patient, teaching a resident, improving health care policy - is a chance to start a cascade of positive effects that might reach well beyond the places that I alone could go.

If you could change one thing about the world (or the world of medicine), what would it be?

I hope we would instill in our children a sense of cultural awareness that will eventually lead to greater understanding and cooperation between people and nations.

What is the biggest change you've experienced in your field since you were a student?

Our understanding of genetics has advanced incredibly in the last 10-15 years, and advances in this field impact all disciplines of medicine.

What one piece of advice you would give to today's students?

Strive for the balance that allows you to care for your patients, your loved ones, and yourself with the same level of excellence.

What do you see as "the future" of medicine?

Physicians are becoming more motivated to claim greater control of the practice of medicine, which will hopefully expand access to the highest quality of medical care to all persons.

In what ways are you engaged with the greater Iowa public (i.e. population based research, mentoring high school students, sharing your leadership/expertise with organizations or causes, speaking engagements off campus, etc.)?

Medical Director, Iowa City Run for the Schools; Member, Johnson County Empowerment Board; Senior Warden, Trinity Episcopal Church, Iowa City; Vice-President, Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; State Planning Committee, Iowans Fit for Life; Lecturer at multiple public symposia sponsored by UI Sports Medicine.