Mike is a registered nurse living in Anchorage, Alaska, where he spent much of his career in the emergency room. He received his first EMT certification working as a firefighter in 1973 when the Department of Transportation started the EMT program. He updated to a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician (WEMT) from NOLS Wilderness Medicine back in 1999 in preparation for a tour of duty up with the NPS mountaineering patrol on Denali in 2000 and for his work with the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. Since retirement from the ER, Mike works with humanitarian aid organizations. He has taught and served on medical teams in Central America, Haiti, Africa and the Middle East.