Dr. Kirkpatrick was born in Oakland, California, and grew up in Wenatchee, Washington. He majored in biology at Stanford University, where he was a teaching assistant in botany. Following dental school at the University of Washington, he served two years in the U.S. Public Health Service on an Indian reservation in Nevada. He started his private practice in Olympia in 1981, and continued to work part-time for the Indian Health Service for another seven years. For five or more years, he volunteered almost weekly with the dental clinic at South Puget Sound Community College or the Community Care Dental Clinic. He has also served on the SmileMobile. As the son of an art teacher and an accountant, he sees those aptitudes helping to balance his practice. For example, he took one of his innovative techniques for filling teeth and got it published in the Journal of the American Dental Association (December 1999). His creative side found it needed the persistence of an accountant to get it into print.

He enjoys photography and carpentry, but his favorite hobby is bicycling. He used to go on rides of 100 miles in a day. Nowadays, bike commuting year-round is a worthy enough goal, and doesn't take him away from his family much. His wife is Susan, and his children are Meygan and Alec.

Dr. Kirkpatrick likes to help children and adults build confidence with each visit, and not overwhelm them with too much too soon. Nearly every visit, he juggles for children. He's good at it, too, having juggled in the Wenatchee Youth Circus (several years ago). Some adults ask for a show, too!