A native Michigander, Dr. DeBenedet lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and three young daughters. He is an avid athlete and in 1995 was named by the Detroit Free Press as a "Michigan Scholar Athlete of the Year" for his performance in basketball, track, tennis, and golf. He has also had three years of training in judo and has volunteered as an exercise coach for children with special needs. He frequently speaks to parenting groups and offers parent-child play workshops around the country. He has appeared on radio and television, including the Today Show, to advocate for parent-child play and was a featured speaker at TEDxDetroit 2011. He is also a contributor to TIME Magazine's online opinion think tank, TIME Ideas. His interviews and writings on play have run in national and international media outlets such as The New York Times, The Associated Press, The Chicago Tribune, Yahoo, MSN's Mom's Homeroom, and The Globe and Mail.Dr. DeBenedet graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) in biomedical engineering. He earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the University of Virginia, receiving the Leonard Tow Award for humanism in medicine, the Richard Bowman Award for clinical excellence, and Alpha Omega Alpha recognition. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Michigan and is now sub-specializing in gastroenterology.