Stephen Wickham holds undergraduate degrees in chemistry, music and nursing as well as a master's in public administration. His career has included working as a staff nurse and as director of several hospital departments. As a registered nurse, he supervised diabetes education and received clinical experience in diabetes care and education. When he and his wife, Karen, a registered nurse, learned that they were living in the county with the lowest health ranking in the state of Tennessee, she was instrumental in obtaining a grant for the county for diabetes prevention and education. Stephen authored a community based lifestyle education seminar, which they have been teaching for the past nine years.