About Our Founder

Michael founded Providence Stewardship Ministries in the spring of 2008 as he was completing a Master’s of Public Health with an emphasis on biostatistics and special training in nutrition.  In founding this non-profit ministry, Michael relied upon reflection about God’s purpose for his life, prayer, counsel from esteemed Christians, and advice from several close friends who are mature Christians. 

Michael grew up in very humble circumstances and was plagued by health problems in his twenties that stemmed in large part from dietary intake.  In choosing to eat healthy, Michael has experienced much better health.  Additionally, his only child has problems with asthma that have been greatly reduced through attention to diet. 

Michael regularly attends First Alliance Church in Erie, Pennsylvania and serves as part of the children’s ministry.  His five year old son, Elisha, likes to sit in the front row for church services and enjoys playing the piano.  Michael’s wife, Bo Xiao, was trained in Chinese medicine at the prestigious Beijing University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, worked in the renowned Sino-Japanese Friendship Hospital as a physician for several years, and is now a medical student at LECOM. 

Michael met his wife while carrying out his dissertation research on economic sociology over the course of three years in China.  While earning a doctorate in sociology from UCLA, Michael began to focus his professional efforts in the area of health.  For more than 7 years, he has been involved with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, where he carries out research about traditional methods of healing.  He has published more than 20 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and delivered more than 500 speeches to students and community groups.  In the Spring of 2009, Michael taught the Sociology of Health at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania.