I am the son of humble cattle farmers from Salem, West Virginia (the state, not the western territory of Virginia). Our farm specializes in full-blood Fleckvieh Simmentals, in addition to raising goats, pigs, chickens, horses, rabbits and more. It was there where I learned the value of hard work, to love the outdoors, and to practically problem solve whatever issues arose (of which there were many). I was also an active member of my local 4-H and FFA clubs.
I was a multi-sport, all-conference, all-state, and multi-time state-champion athlete, eventually becoming a nationally competitive collegiate high hurdler at West Virginia Wesleyan College. There, I was a major contributor to my team's four consecutive MEC Men's Track and Field championships, earning all-conference and all-region honors. I always had a love for mathematics and teaching, which lead me to earn B.S./B.A degrees in mathematics and mathematics education (5-Adult) as a first-generation college student.
I was fortunate to earn an assistantship to pursue my Ph.D. at the University of Kentucky, specializing in mathematical oncology. Over the final years of graduate school, I focused on building a model of pancreatic cancer that could be used to search for gene targets. While doing so, I helped construct a strategic pipeline utilizing tools used for developing and analyzing dynamic models. I now work as a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Markey Cancer Center, studying lung cancer and implementing my prior specialty.
While in graduate school, I was blessed to meet my wife, Michelle, who is a physical therapist (DPT) specializing in orthopedics and women's health. We are both passionate about using our skills to leave a lasting impact through meaningful research, education, and treatment to help underrepresented and unreached populations both locally and globally.
And here's an article that I was recently featured in: