I am a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where I received my M.D. (1974) and Ph.D. in Biochemistry (1976). My specialty in medicine was Pathology with a subspecialty interest in kidney pathology. My research focused on protein structure and drug design using protein crystallography. I taught medical students for 35 years in addition to my clinical and research duties. While I am capable of tutoring a number of subjects, I am happiest teaching math, which is a lifelong love. I believe strongly in the ability of education to improve one's quality of life; I still enjoy learning new topics every day. I want students to be able to use their knowledge to solve problems; pure memorization simply to pass a test is not my idea of a good education. In my spare time, I enjoy reading the classics I missed when I was younger, playing chess and playing the piano.