Dr. Martin was born and raised in Rochester, Minnesota.  He attended public schools and after high school completed undergraduate studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1970 cum laude with Departmental Honors in Biology.

He attended University of Minnesota Medical School, completing his MD Degree in 1974.

Graduate medical studies were at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota.  He completed a year of residency training in Internal Medicine before changing his interest to Psychiatry.  At the conclusion of residency training he was named Mayo Foundation Scholar and spent time in Boston, Philadelphia, and UCLA supplementing his Mayo training experience.

Dr. Martin joined the staff of the Mayo Clinic in 1978 where he held the rank of Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at both Mayo Clinic Rochester and Arizona.  During his 25 years at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester he had the opportunity to serve as the head of Mayo Intensive Psychotherapy Center and subsequently head of the Section of Community Psychiatry and Psychology in Mayo’s Department of Psychiatry and Psychology.  He also developed the Mayo Nursing Home Consultation Service which provided psychiatric consultation to nursing home patients.  This experience led to the publication of “The Nursing Home Decision”, a book for family members attempting to deal with the psychological challenges of admitting a loved one to a nursing home.

Dr. Martin's professional interests have always been in providing excellent clinical care and to teaching medical students and residents in training.  He was twice named Teacher of the Year by Psychiatry residents at Mayo.  He is Board Certified in Psychiatry and has completed Special Qualifications in Geriatric Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Most important to him are his 30+ year marriage and three daughters who tolerate his sense of humor and keep him endlessly humble.