Sam was born and raised in the Valley of the Sun. He knew from a young age that he wanted to give back to his community after experiencing the generosity of so many medical staff members who helped his younger brother through 4 separate battles with meningitis. After a knee injury in high school derailed his NFL aspirations, Sam began to pursue his second passion, medicine. While attending Arizona State University on an academic scholarship, he began volunteering as a patient transporter at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. He accumulated nearly 400 volunteer hours in his junior year and was offered a full time position.
After completing his Bachelor of Science in Genetics, Cell, and Developmental Biology with Cum Laude honors, he went on to become a certified Emergency Medical Technician. He would work as a nursing assistant in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as well as a technician in the Emergency Department before eventually being accepted to the Physician Assistant program at Midwestern University in Glendale, Arizona. While attending MWU, Sam and fellow AUUA PA Tym Claude helped coordinate free healthcare clinics for homeless women and children across the greater Phoenix area.
Sam dabbled with the idea of moving to northern California to pursue a career in Emergency Medicine (and a very brief stint as a delivery boy for UPS), but ultimately decided to stay closer to home and accepted a position with Academic Urology. While not at work, he enjoys playing soccer, watching Pittsburgh Steelers football, and learning how to cook.
