Dr. Wightman earned his medical doctorate from Rush University in Chicago, Illinois. He completed his general surgery residency at the University of Chicago. While there, he completed a clinical medical ethics fellowship at the Maclean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. Dr. Wightman went to Stanford University where he completed his cardiothoracic surgery training. He joined the division of thoracic surgery at the University of Southern California in 2019. 

His surgical interests lie in thoracic malignancies as well as benign esophageal surgery. His academic interests look at the intersection of surgery and ethics; specifically as it pertains to patient-centered care.