After obtaining my Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree at the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa, I completed a residency in Family Medicine at Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital in Portland, OR. I am a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Medicine. My practice is currently restricted to spine care, here at the San Jose Medical Center at Kaiser Permanente in San Jose. I am also the Director for Spine Care Services as well as Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program.

I am on the Editorial Board for several journals, including Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Natural Standard, and Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. I am a founding board member of the International Society for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research. My academic clinical appointment is in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.