He received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Iowa in 1997. He teaches courses in medical sociology, social psychology, and research methods. He has served as a University of Iowa Fellow and an NIMH post-doctoral fellow at UCLA and is now researching health care delivery to marginalized populations and the dynamics of communities in cyberspace. His research looks at the links between identity, community, and health. For his own health, he enjoys riding his bicycle and making chocolate truffles (but only once a year).