He received his undergraduate degree in kinesiology from the University of Colorado, and his Bachelor of Arts in clinical health sciences in conjunction with his physicians assistant training for the University of Washington School of Medicine. Kirk has been involved in the field of orthopaedics for the past 20 years, ranging from surgical spine trauma and care at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington, physical therapy rehabilitation, clinical massage therapy, and instruction of cadaveric musculoskeletal anatomy at Bastyr University.