Following medical school studies in Toronto, he trained in general surgery at McGill University, then in pediatric surgery at the Université de Montréal. He has earned a Masters in Health Professions Education (University of Illinois in Chicago), and is currently completing a Masters in International Development (William Carrey University, California) and a PhD in Pediatric Surgery (Erasmus University, Rotterdam). He has practiced academic surgery for 10 years in Kingston, Canada, 8 years in Kijabe, Kenya, and 2 years in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.