Dr. Mark R. Kapperman is the founder of Kapperman, White & McGarvey Eyecare. Dr. Kapperman started the practice in 1988 with a passionate commitment to provide exceptional optometric care for those he served. His practice, now over 30 years old, has grown into one of the largest providers of primary eye care in Chattanooga. The practice, like Dr. Kapperman, is known for providing a family-oriented, patient-centered approach to eye care.

After finishing his pre-optometry curriculum at UT Chattanooga and receiving his Doctorate of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry, Mark returned home and began practicing at one of the first business establishments on the newly commercialized Gunbarrel Road. Dr. Kapperman relocated the practice to the Gunbarrel Professional Center in 1995 where it now includes 4 doctors and 20+ staff members.

Dr. Kapperman has played a vital leadership role in serving the optometric community at both the state and local levels. He has served as president of the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians and currently serves as administrator for Vision Source in Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia.

Dr. Kapperman’s commitment to providing exceptional care to his patients extends to teaching and instilling this commitment to the next generation of optometrists. Mark trains students from Southern College of Optometry and the University of Alabama Birmingham and has recently been invited to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Southern College of Optometry.

One of Mark’s greatest joys is being able to serve people without access to eyecare in remote underdeveloped countries. He has travelled to Catacamas, Honduras each of the last 16 years to provide much needed vision care. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Predisan Health Ministries, a Christian healthcare organization that provides medical services to thousands of people in the Olancho region in rural Honduras.

Mark and his wife, Anita, have been married for 32 years. She is a pediatric nurse, but now devotes herself full-time to family and volunteering for several community outreach programs. Together they have raised three children. Cameron is a local attorney who recently married the love of his life in the Patten Chapel on the UTC campus. Conner is following in his father’s footsteps and graduated with his Doctorate of Optometry in 2020. Their youngest and only daughter, Cydney, attends Berry College and is interested in economics and something in the field of healthcare. 

While on a medical mission trip to Nicaragua in college, Dr. Kortum discovered the immediate impact that an eye exam and glasses can have on individuals and communities with limited access to eye care. From there, her vision for a career in optometry was clear. 

A native of the "Cornhusker State," Dr. Kortum earned her bachelor’s degree in nutrition science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While attending Southern College of Optometry, she represented the student body as a trustee to the American Optometric Student Association. It was while earning her doctorate that Megan completed an externship at Kapperman, White & McGarvey Eyecare. She quickly fell in love with the people of the practice and the Chattanooga community.

Always up for an adventure, Megan’s journey brought her to the United States Air Force. Commissioning in her second year of optometry school—and intrigued that pilots need the very best eye care possible—she set out to begin her career as a captain in the military. In addition to developing her skills as an optometrist, she learned invaluable leadership skills and was named the Air Education and Training Command Biomedical Sciences Corps Company Grade Officer of the Year for clinicians.

With a calling back to the great city of Chattanooga, Dr. Kortum joined the practice of Drs. Kapperman, White & McGarvey in 2016. She desires to continue her passion for medical mission outreach and most recently completed her fifth international mission trip. Megan was thrilled to accompany Dr. Kapperman on his annual trip to Honduras and hopes to make the journey with the eye brigade each year.

In her free time, Megan enjoys a good book, working in the yard, and last-minute road trips. She is married to Mike, who is an 8th grade Algebra teacher at Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences. They have four young children, Will, Annie, Liv, and Clark. Their family spends as much time outdoors as possible and loves to travel.