In the process he met and married his wife of over 35 years, Christy, and they had their first two daughters. They moved to Los Angeles in 1987 where Joe completed a fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles. He then served 10 years at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, VA. While there he developed his interests in quality improvement and business, and he and Christy had their second two daughters. In 2000 he and his family moved to San Antonio TX where he served as the Director of Clinical Operations at the Department of Defense Pharmacoeconomic Center. During this time, he also received his MBA degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio. In 2003 he and Christy made the decision to move back to Oakland so Christy could realize her dream of being a member of the team that opened the first pediatric residential end-of-life facility in the United States, the George Mark House. Joe assumed the role of Director of the Neuro-Oncology Program at what eventually became USCF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, a position he held for 16 years.

Besides being the proud father of Kirsten, a now adult PPF performer, Joe is extremely committed to the mission of the PPF. Although he and Christy moved to Gilbert, AZ in 2019 he remains active on the Board while also doing his “day job” as the lead physician for Hematology/Oncology for Banner Children’s Services in Phoenix. He believes his background in process improvement and organizational dynamics will continue to prove useful to the PPF as it grows in size and continues its progress toward being a regional leader in providing opportunities for children to become confident in their talents while learning to become responsible members of their communities. And he hopes that there will be ongoing opportunities for him to perform with this immensely talented group of “children of all ages”!