I was born in Tucson, Arizona but mostly raised in Washoe Valley, Nevada. I completed my BA in Biology at the University of San Diego; I completed my MD/PhD (Immunology) at Tufts University in Boston, MA; I completed my training in Vascular Surgery at the University of Arizona.  I am an Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Arizona. My clinical practice is to take care of patients with vascular disease. This includes the broad spectrum of patients with aortic, carotid and other vacsular pathologies. My research focuses on understanding how extracranial carotid atherosclerosis affects brain health including quantifiable features of both structure and function of the brain. I use my background as an Immunologist for this purpose as well as strong collaborations with faculty from the department of medical imaging, psychiatry, neurology and psychology.