I grew up in a family of pediatricians and surgeons. Upon attaining my Doctor of Medicine, I completed my residency in general surgery at the University of North Dakota. My residency steered me toward cardiac surgery in particular, especially after spending 2 months on elective rotation at the Mayo Clinic.  In 2005, I started a cardiac surgery fellowship at Loma Linda University, working under Dr. Leonard Bailey, a pioneer in infant heart transplantation surgery.  In 2008, I began my journey at Stanford with a congenital heart surgery fellowship and an appointment as a Clinical Instructor in pediatric cardiac surgery. I have worked alongside top pediatric cardiothoracic surgeons in the field, including Dr. Mohan Reddy and Dr. Frank Hanley. Six months into the fellowship I was hired to Stanford University School of Medicine and assigned to lead the satellite program at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento.  Over time the volume of the program has increase 400% and we proudly conduct pediatric cardiac and thoracic surgeries of the highest complexity.