Born and raised in Iowa, Courtney Crawford remained in the midwest where he attend college at Washington University in St. Louis. Following his undergraduate degree, he spent a year as a Fulbright Scholar in Central America, where he worked at the United States embassy in Panama. He later matriculated medical school at Michigan State, and completed his residency in opthalmology through the US Army. He subsequently completed a retina fellowship, and now practices as a Retina Specialist in the Dallas, TX area.