Meet Dr. Kathryn Beckman

Dr. Kathryn Beckman is an associate at Spring Hill Eyecare. Although she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, she is thrilled to be living in Tennessee now. After her first trip to the south in 2010, she became enchanted with everything southern and was soon on a mission to relocate.

She has a B.S. in Biological Sciences from California State University, Sacramento, a B.S. in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley, and Doctor of Optometry from the University of California at Berkeley. She had extensive training at UCB in primary eye care, ocular disease, contact lenses and pediatrics. Dr. Beckman completed externship rotations in ocular disease at VA hospitals in Tacoma, Washington and Sacramento, California.

After graduation in 1995, she started her solo practice in the wine country in Lodi, California. Two years later, with partners, she started a refractive surgery center in Stockton, California. About four years ago, she sold her practice and moved to Tennessee. She worked in a clinic in Murfreesboro prior to joining Spring Hill Eyecare. She is a member of the American Optometric Association and the Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians. 

Dr. Beckman has a passion for mission work and has served with Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) and Sight Ministries. She was part of a VOSH team providing eye care and cataract surgery for the needy in Guatemala. Then, to raise money for a self- sustaining eye clinic in Guatemala, she and her brother and their team climbed and summitted Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. She also served children at an AIDS orphanage in Moshi, Tanzania in Africa. With Sight Ministries she served in Surabaya, Indonesia and the San Blas Islands near Panama, providing eye care and glasses for those in need. 

Dr. Beckman has two beautiful adult daughters. Her oldest, Joelle, lives and works in California. Her youngest, Jackie, graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  On May 16, 2020, Dr. Beckman married the love of her life, Joel Barker.  Their Australian Shepherd, Reagan, completes the family.

During her leisure time, Dr. Beckman enjoys all outdoor activities, especially hiking, camping, mountain climbing, Scuba diving, skiing, paddle boarding, and golfing. She also has a passion for travel, and loves to cook. She is a fan of the Nashville Predators and the UT Vols.