He received both his doctor of veterinary medicine and a PhD in comparative pathology from the University of California, Davis, and is co-director of the school's aquatic animal health program. His research interests include, among others, aquatic animal zoonoses, which are diseases that can spread from animals to humans. He's provided numerous aquatic animal training workshops, most often as related to fish, and has received several grants including an assistance grant in 2012 for $100,00 that looked in part at viral diseases in stranded marine animals. He is also a member of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine.