He attended the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, earning his bachelor of science in 1988; then he attended the Medical College of Wisconsin on a U.S. Navy scholarship, receiving his M.D. in 1992.[citation needed] He served in the Navy for 11 years, receiving the Meritorious Service Medal and attaining the rank of lieutenant commander by the time of his honorable discharge in 1999.[citation needed] His tours of duty included staff internist for the U.S. Congress,[4] medical department head aboard the USS El Paso, and chief resident at Bethesda Naval Hospital.[14] He moved to Arizona after his discharge from the Navy, taking over part of his father's medical practice.[14]