Michael was introduced to rugby during his plebe year at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, after youth football and fell in love with the game. Playing all four years at West Point including tours in England and California, his Black Knights ranked #1 in the nation going into the national championship playoffs. Michael then played and coached men’s rugby at his first military duty station in Arizona, later in California, as well as playing Select-side military rugby. Medical school at Tulane in New Orleans interrupted his rugby pursuits until his teenage son took an interest in playing in high school and into college. This renewed his interest in rugby in general and Army West Point rugby in particular. Go Army! Beat Navy!
Michael retired as a Colonel in the U.S. Army after a distinguished 31-year career. He is board-certified in General Preventive Medicine and Public Health and is a Fellow of the American College of Preventive Medicine and the American College of Nutrition. Michael is a recognized innovator in disease surveillance and epidemiology, as well as a proven leader and expert on nutritional and other interventions for brain health and traumatic brain injury (TBI). In 2012, he founded the nonprofit Brain Health Education and Research Institute. He is a consultant to the U.S. Army and Navy, as well as several organizations and companies around the world, and a founding member of the Pop Warner Youth Football Medical Advisory Board. His private practice, BrainCARE, is located in Potomac, MD, where he takes a comprehensive approach to concussion recovery, brain injury, sports performance, and brain health issues. His pioneering work in the military and since has helped thousands of people around the world.
