[MaggioMuscle]

Name: David
Age: 31
Birthday: Aug 19th
Job: Graduate Student and Self Empolyed
Based: Atlanta, GA

Height: 6'
Weight: 230 lbs
Body type: mesomorph
Strengths: cardio
Weaknesses: abs
Goals: run marathons in June and Nov 2006. Get bodyfat down to 12-15% by end of year.

Bodybuilding experience: 20 years
Training: running, lifting, swimming, biking

I was born and grew up in a rural farm town 38miles West of Chicago. I have one sister. She's a lawyer.

I have always been an atheletic person. High school distance runner and lots of biking and bodybuilding and tae kwon do up to a brown belt. I was interested in art and science and math. I started lifting at age 12 or so. Puberty started early for me, at age 10. It was not easy growing up gay in a rural town. My dad hated me. My mom and I were close. Now it has reversed. My dad and I are best friends and my mom and my sister do not speak to me. All thanks to their divorce after 35 years of marriage. These things can really mess up your grades when you are in college!

I had my own company in Chicago from the ages of 18-20. I did odd jobs in the neighborhood and had one employee. Unfortunately, I did not know how to manage money. I ran it into the red and skipped town! I later fulfilled my obligations with the help of my parents.

I moved to Atlanta in 1994, two years before the Olympics. It was a great time. I lived and later managed a youth hostel for a total of 3 years. I started college with the intent to become a science high school teacher. But I found so many other possible career opportunities that after graduating I went on to graduate school.

While in college I worked at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. I had two jobs. My first was optimizing an assay to aid in the development of a better pneumococcal vaccine. My second was with the hospital infections branch in the staphylococcal identification lab. Those were great times and I learned a lot.

After college I got a job at Emory at the Yerkes Primate Research Center. Cool place! They do research on monkeys, apes and mice, mostly. My first position was as a laboratory scientist working on the Anthrax Vaccine Research Project. I developed all the protocols for running the assays and quality control. I also ran the assays, created a database, maintained the database and coordinated with CDC on a number of issues related to the project including reporting the data. The project started as a result of vets complaining of Gulf War syndrome and blaming it on the antrhax vaccine. Congress alocated money to NIH which made its way to CDC and eventually to Emory. Were were contracted to run some of the assays and conduct a vaccine project on macaque monkeys. I did this for 3.5 years.

My second position was in an HIV lab were I got the ball rolling for a clincal trial to test the Emory HIV vaccine. It is a promising vaccine! I worked for 8months on that project and resigned to complete my masters thesis on malnutrition in Pakistani children affected by the 2005 earthquake. I will be accepting a position as a senior researcher in biochemistry and nutrition at Emory this June.

Do a google search for "David Maggio" and either of the following: EMORY VACCINE CENTER or EMORY UNIVERSITY or HIV or ANTHRAX and you will see what I have been up to. Or a pubmed search "David Maggio"

I opened a Wellness Center in January. We are doing massage thereapy, and plan to have comprehensive holistic wellness and weight loss programs as well.

I am completing an MPH in infectious disease epidemiology. I expect to graduate by May or December, all up to my thesis advisor. Then I plan to persue a PhD in nutrition and biochemistry and a doctorate in medicine. I wish to be a sports doctor and develop wellness programs for my community.

Throughout my life I have been skinny, muscular and fat. I started out lean in high school, skinny in Atlanta (I was poor), muscular in college, fat while working after college and now back to muscular. I workout with my personal trainer at LA FITNESS twice a week. I do the rest on my own. I am bodybuilding and training for a marathon this June in Alaska. Next year, I will train for multisport races.

I am in this forum to teach what I know about biochemistry and nutrition. I also have a background in immunology and microbiology, so I am hoping that helps too. I hope to learn about how to be a better bodybuilder from the rest of you and hope to stay motivated by being involved in this community.

Thanks!