Dr. Ward was born and raised in the Frayser section of Memphis. He attended Christian Brothers High School and Christian Brothers College, where he majored in chemical engineering. He attended veterinary school at the University of Tennessee, after which he spent time in private small animal practice in Greenville SC. He did his ophthalmology residency, doctoral studies and post doc at the University of Georgia. He joined the University of Tennessee faculty in 1990. Dr. Ward lives with his wife and daughter on a small farm in East Tennessee, and his son is a senior at the University of Notre Dame. His interests outside the university include running, jazz music, farming, baseball, dabbling with antique cars and tractors, and the French existentialist movement of the mid-20th century.