Dr. Burke completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Classical Studies (Ancient Greece and Rome.)  He remained at UNC for another four years to completed his Doctor of Medicine degree.  After this, he traveled 8 miles down the road to Duke University where he completed a four year residency in Anesthesiology.  After practicing Anesthesiology for eleven years, Dr. Burke noticed that he was seeing a significant number of patients in the operating room and emergency room whose medical issues revolved around recreational substance abuse.  Much of this happened at weekend parties and resulted in trauma.  Some of the most disturbing cases involved youth who had taken over the counter or illicit mind altering drugs and required sedation in the emergency room to detox their overdose or reactions.

After witnessing these cases and the devastating aftermath that ensued, Dr. Burke decided to spearhead a nonprofit organization to address health issues connected to alcohol and recreational substance abuse.