Dr. Festa graduated from Rutgers College, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and honors for his thesis research on alcohol abuse. He subsequently completed a Ph.D. in Biological Psychology from The City University of New York and published over 20 articles regarding sex differences in psychostimulant abuse.

He received his medical doctorate from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, graduating in the top quintile of his class and was admitted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha medical honors society. A medical internship was completed at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center, and residency training in internal medicine was completed at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.

In addition to general medicine and primary care, his specific clinical areas of interest include, addiction medicine, diabetes and weight loss management, skin diseases and mental health, LGBT medicine, HIV care, and PrEP.