Dr. McNutt is a native of Nashville who received his undergraduate degree in zoology from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He received his dental degree from the University of Tennessee in Memphis and completed two years of additional study, receiving a certificate in pediatric dentistry from the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he was chief resident. He graduated from all three programs with honors, and he received long-term training from the Chauncey Sparks Center for Developmental and Learning Disorders.