Specialty Anesthesiology Anesthesiology: Cardiovascular Facility Oakland Medical Center Anesthesiology Telephone Office: (510) 752-6238 Fax: (510) 752-7072 E-mail your doctor View your preventive services

My Biography

My introduction to medicine was as a patient in the back of an ambulance. I was eighteen years old and had just broken my leg skiing. The next several months fascinated me as I watched my leg heal. Shortly thereafter, I volunteered at the local fire department and became an EMT. It was only after giving up my career as a chef did I decide to become a doctor, the first one in my family. I studied economics in college and medicine in San Francisco, interned at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, and completed my residency in Denver.

When I chose anesthesiology as my specialty, I saw one of my roles as a guide escorting my patient through an admittedly frightening experience of surgery. Before surgery, I try to gather important information while reassuring my patient and telling him or her what to expect. In the OR, I talk to my patient, describing what's going on, what I and the others in the room are doing, and what they should be aware of. When I start the anesthetic and the patient's eyes flutter closed, it's a profound responsibility I assume. My job is to shepherd my patient through the operation while our highly skilled surgeons perform the procedure. At the end of the operation, I wake the patient up gently and comfortably, still watching over them carefully. In all, it's an awesome and humbling responsibility.

Kaiser is the best place I can think of that lets me assume that responsibility with minimal fuss and interference. I started with Kaiser right out of my residency; I looked at many other programs and this medical group is the one that lets me practice medicine the way I think best and provides superior tools to do so. I've been at Kaiser since 1998 and haven't regretted it.

I currently live in the east bay and am married with two adorable children (my son has already told me he wants to be a doctor). We love living in the bay area—there is so much to see and do. We bicycle together, go to the beach, and visit places such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the wine country, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.

Now that you know a little about me, I’m happy to answer any questions about myself or anesthesia. I also have some links at the side of this page to various anesthesia resources and also a link to bicycle safety.

My Credentials

Medical school	UC San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Internship	Kaiser Foundation Hospital, San Francisco, CA
Residency	University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO
Board certification	Anesthesiology, American Board of Anesthesiology

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