A native of Chicago, Dr. Schenk is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and Tulane University School of Medicine. He relocated to Texas in 1978 and served as chairman of the Pulmonary / Critical Care Medicine Department at Wilford Hall Medical Center from 1987 until his retirement from the Air Force in 1993. Prior to retirement, Dr. Schenk was instrumental in establishing a sleep laboratory at Wilford Hall Medical Center. Dr. Schenk has published several papers on lung cancer staging. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine.