Chris Heffner did his undergraduate work at Brown University, with a bachelor's degree in biology. He completed the M.D. degree and residency training in neurosurgery at Washington University in St. Louis. He practiced all areas of neurosurgery until his retirement in 2017. He has had a lifelong interest in astronomy and space exploration. Now that he is retired, he can spend more time studying astronomy (and jazz music). He and his wife have two daughters and one grandson.