The Town of Carrboro "The Paris of
the Piedmont"
(puke), actually a nice small town adjacent to Chapel Hill and part of...
The Triangle -
a.k.a. Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I have
lived here, outside a very short stint in CH, since August of 1990.
I am originally (pre-1990) from
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -
Home of Ma, Pa and bunches of family... of the normal and loving variety
that still can take the partly cloudy skies and snow.
Da Burgh is, however, a great place, lots of character, great sports
teams, even if not recently, and was a great "home" to grow up. The
smoke
stacks are long gone and heading home to see my parents, family and
friends, a trip to Kennywood or a late night on the Strip, can't be
matched by too many places.
Kim and I live in our quaint, little one-bedroom apartment in the The
Chateau, that's French for still affordable in Carrboro and allows for
saving money till Kim settles in with a new position and we find the
right home. Actually, I think Bear thinks it's his
house and we just happen to reside there for the benefit of walks and
bones.
What Pays The Bills
Division
of Cardiothoracic
Surgery
Cardiothoracic Surgery Laboratory
CB# 7065
Room 114 Burnett-Womack
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
(919) 966-3381
torch@med.unc.edu
I have worked at UNC
Hospitals' Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, since January 1996. I am a
Research Specialist in the Cardiothoracic
Surgery Laboratory. We are conducting experimental and clinical
research to assess and maintain endothelial integrity and normal pulmonary
physiology in animal models of lung preservation and transplantation.
Most of my work centers on the hypothesis that cadaver organs,
specifically the lung, remains functionally viable post-mortem. The use
of "dead" donors would greatly increase the donor pools for
transplantation and save many, many lives if such organs could be used.
We also have a
cooperative project with the Department of Biomedical Engineering to set
up a Fontan circulation in lambs. This system allows us to mimic some
congenital abnormalities in pediatric patients. We can then model
different corrective shunts that will allow for proper blood flow.
Life at Work 
I had worked
for Old Navy (5614) in
Durham, NC as a part-time job since the Fall of 1995 till I recently,
well...had enough of the part-time thing too. After Grad School,
I worked there to pay the bills while I was looking for a job. I'll miss
the discount and it's really not a bad place.
Carrboro Parks and Recreation
I have been an umpire for the Carrboro youth baseball and adult softball
program since 1991. Three years ago, I also began running a Pitcher's
Instructional Clinic that has done very well. I've had a lot of kids,
multiple times over the years and hopefully, it not only helps them become
better, but also has increased the pitching and baseball knowledge of all
those around. If you need some one-on-one help please give me a call or
get in touch with the Rec department to get to one of our clinics.
Baseball has meant a lot to me over the years and I try to do a lot to
give back to the game I really love.
Past
Education
Honors
- National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) Training Grant, 1990-1995
- President-Graduate and Professional
Student
Federation, 1995
- Frank Porter Graham Graduate and Professional
Student
Honorary Society-elected 1994
- Athletic Scholarship: University of Pittsburgh 1987-89
- Presidential Sports Award (Scholarship and Sport) October 1989
