Dr. Bumgarner was born in East Tennessee and grew up in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains. He graduated high school in Bartow, Florida. From there he moved to Atlanta to attend Emory University and earned a degree in psychology with a minor in biology. After graduation from Emory, Dr. Bumgarner worked for several years as a virologist for the state Health Department in Atlanta and then returned to Emory to receive a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Emory University School of Dentistry.