oral historian of hand transplantation, writer, artist, & professor of communication

No one knows more about the value of human touch function than someone who has lost theirs — and gotten it back. Documenting the first cases of experimental hand transplantation in the words of the recipients and caregivers of those hands, my research and (draft) monograph offer insights about amputation and rehabilitation, about the meaning of success in medical experimentation, about hands and the shaping of individual identity, and about the nature and necessity of human touch for thriving.
​
When not writing, I teach courses in communication and rhetoric at University of Pittsburgh and Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), and draw caricatures at local events! The "read" page contains multiple links to my academic work and some select science writing (interviews and essays); check back soon for teaching tools (exercises, syllabi) from the courses I teach at Pitt and for research updates.