Mark Wanner received a biology degree from Bowdoin College and studied graduate microbiology at the University of Virginia. His interests and abilities steered into communications, however, and left graduate school to work in book publishing, eventually overseeing all aspects of book production as managing editor of a small regional press. Retained a strong interest in science and transitioned to the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Vermont in 2001 as a communications coordinator.

Then joined The Jackson Laboratory in 2005 as a public information representative and now works as a senior scientific writer. He is particularly interested in genomics and how new technologies and capabilities are changing medicine and contributing to clinical progress.