Martin was born around 1980 in Liverpool, England to English parents as their only child. At a very young age, his family settled down in Danville, Pennsylvania where is father worked in Geisinger Medical Center as a hematology. Inspired by his father, he studied medical science at Bucknell University and later graduated from Thomas Jefferson University. He received his Master’s in public health from the Harvard University, specializing in health policy. From his early days, he was a fearless speaker and would always talk to the point, so that his opponent wouldn’t have much to talk about. That bold nature saw him become the president of the student body at Harvard, before he left and moved to study at Georgetown University, located in Washington D.C. An American by nationality, he is an English by ethnicity and is a Christian by religion.

A laparoscopic surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, he has also served as a leader in the UN’s World Health Organization program for the “Safe Surgery Saves Lives” campaign. He has also talked about the safety issues of a patient to be taken care of, by the doctor and talks about how the medical procedure should be clean and clear. His idea of solving a disease by the basic steps of medicine and emplaning on the common solutions has been covered by his book The Surgical Checklist. He came to light after his book Unaccountable: What Hospitals Won't Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care, became New York Best seller in 2012. His advocating powers and ability to talk to the point has seen him become Surgeon General of the United States, suggested by American College of Surgeons in 2009.

After completing his surgical training in Georgetown for 5 years, he started to train in surgery at Johns Hopkins, under senior surgeon John Cameron. After being impressed with Makary, Dr. Cameron hired him as a partner in practice, who also became his assistant professor. He taught his students and fellows the importance of working safely and dealing closely with a patient, which became a practice at the hospital. That quality of his earned him a spot to work with the World Health Organization. He was also awarded the Endowed Chair at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, becoming the youngest doctor to achieve such honor. After three years, he was again chosen as the Director of Quality and Safety, as well as the Credentials Chair at the same hospital. A pancreatic surgeon, he is an accomplished surgeon who even travels across countries with his team to perform critical operations.