Ko Mississippi te awa. Michael grew up in the environs of Minneapolis and the Mississippi river in the United States. Prior to his medical schooling he spent a year in Malawi on a Fulbright Fellowship to study traditional medicines used to combat malaria. He earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota and a Masters of Public Health in International Health from the University of Michigan. He trained in Emergency Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia in the US during which time he married his fantastic wife, Lisa a paediatric dermatologist.
After living and working in the vibrant Latin culture of Miami for nearly 10 years they returned to Ngamotu, Aotearoa to continue raising their 3 children in the beauty of Taranaki. In 2017 Michael completed his FACEM requirement at Waikato to earn his induction into the college as a fellow. He has been clinical director of emergency medicine in Taranaki since 2018 and enjoys seeing both the department and his children grow and thrive. He and Lisa now have children at universities in Wellington and Christchurch and are smothering the youngest with a mixture of love and chores, both dreading the impending empty nest. Michael enjoys any excuse to be out on his bike or tramping in the magnificent bush of Taranaki, the Pouakai, or Kaitake, especially if his family are with him.
Favourite proverbs:
Maori: He waka eke noa
Cuban: Esta poniendo Havana en Guanabacoa (this happens to nail everyday life in the ED)
Chichewa: Mu kadye chule, kadye chule onona
American: Don’t let school get in the way of your education