One day in his early 20s, Dr. Mark Witcher woke up blind. To find someone to help figure out what was going on, he and his wife began flipping through their insurance book – at that time they still had paper catalogues for providers – until they settled on one. The surgeon had a 4-month waiting period, but after speaking to his assistant he was able to get an appointment later that day. 

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Miraculously the surgeon they had chosen turned out to be a leading expert in the ultra-rare condition that Dr. Witcher had – Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy (AMPE/APMPPE). Only the fourth person in the world to be diagnosed with the condition and complications he was experiencing, he started having a series of small strokes in the hospital, which in previous cases had led to death. 

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Luckily, under the supervision of leading experts his doctors were able to save him and return his sight. As he was treated at a teaching hospital, his case also offered the opportunity to help students learn about the condition and its treatment.

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After leaving the hospital, Dr. Witcher returned to his job as a watershed ecologist in Atlanta, but his interest in medicine was piqued. He began volunteering in his spare time at a local indigent hospital and was drawn to the neurology department, where he spent time learning about the interesting cases the doctors treated there. 

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Discussions with one of the neurologists showed him he could blend his interests. Mark initially decided he would then pursue a MD PhD in Environmental Neurotoxicology. As he began medical school, he then realized that neurosurgery was his true calling- he had found his people. He also found that in the nervous system, just like in environmental science, structure and function were inseparable.

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“I realized that the neurosurgeons were the people I’d hang out with at a party – the Chair of Neurosurgery was a big wall climber who had spent years in South America before wandering into medicine. He became a great mentor.”

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Fascinated by the relationship between structure and function, Dr. Witcher drew parallels between ecological systems and how the brain works. Just as he had spent time as an ecologist researching how sediment was transported through watersheds, rivers, and stream ecosystems helped him understand large and complex environmental systems, he began learning about how the structure of the nervous system relates to the function of the brain. 

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While studying at the Medical College of Georgia, now Augusta University, Dr. Witcher began focusing on human brain physiology, ultimately focusing on the how the microscopic structure of the human brain was affected by seizure disorders.  

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In residency at Wake Forest University, Dr. Witcher focused on how specific structures in the brain could impact the ability to learn and apply memories. He eventually joined a team developing techniques to measure neurotransmitters in the brain with the team at Virginia Tech. Patients were asked to play simulation games where they would win and lose, and the team would measure how dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine were released in response. While in Roanoke for a lab meeting related to the project, he fell in love with the University he would ultimately call home, eventually becoming the Program Director for the residency program and Vice Chair of Research and Education.