Undergraduate: West Virginia University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Melissa grew up in Newton, WV, a rural town in Roane County. She graduated WVU with a BS in Exercise Physiology before completing medical school at Marshall University’s JCESOM. During medical school, her passion for working with underserved communities grew, and she plans to work in a rural area with an OB focus upon completion of residency. She and her husband, Austin, enjoy spending time outdoors including hiking and bass fishing. They have two dogs: an Aussie, Luna, and lab, Nico, who love to keep them on their toes.
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Kaitlan Harvey grew up in rural Wayne County, WV. She attended college at Marshall University where she received her BS in Biology. She received her medical education at Marshall University’s JCESOM. With an interest in rural medicine and addiction research, she will continue her training with Marshall Family Medicine. Kaitlan enjoys reading, rock-collecting, crocheting, and spending time with her family, friends and her two dogs.
Undergraduate: Marshal University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Trenton grew up in Cowen, WV and attended Webster County High School. He obtained his B.S. in Cellular, Molecular, and Medical Biology from Marshall University and his M.D. from the Marshall University JCESOM. He is happily married to his high school sweetheart Megann. Trenton’s hobbies include tabletop roleplaying games, photography, and cooking, among many more. His medical interests center around rural medicine, and he hopes to return to his hometown to practice once his training is complete.
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Jacob grew up in a small town outside of Parkersburg, West Virginia. After graduating from high school he attended Marshall University where he completed a B.S. degree in Applied Mathematics. He began his medical education at Marshall University School of Medicine. Jacob enjoys reading, exercising, golfing, and fishing. As a long-term resident of West Virginia, he looks forward to serving his community.
Undergraduate: Hampden-Sydney College
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Bobby was born and raised in Huntington, WV where he attended Huntington High School. He then graduated from Hampden-Sydney College with a bachelor's degree in biology before returning home to medical school at Marshall University. While in medical school, he fell in love with the breadth of family medicine and the personal touch of a primary care physician. In his free time, he enjoys reading, cooking and baking, or just spending time outside soaking up the sun. He hopes to practice the full spectrum of family medicine upon graduation.
Undergraduate: Transylvania University
Medical School: Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine
Sarah grew up in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. After graduating from Transylvania University with her BA in Biology, she attended the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of Pikeville in Pikeville, Kentucky. Sarah enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking, dancing, and watching sporting events, especially Alabama football.
Undergraduate: Liberty University
Medical School: Eastern Virginia Medical School
Caroline grew up in a small town in south central Virginia called Gladys. She completed her undergraduate studies at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. She then headed to Norfolk, VA for medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Her professional interests include rural health, preventive care, and behavioral health in the primary care setting. Her husband, Caleb, is also a resident at Marshall. Together, they enjoy spending time outdoors, playing with their puppy (Clyde), and eating tasty food (especially tacos and queso). Caroline looks forward to completing the next stage of her training in Huntington and learning from the community here!
Undergraduate: Baylor University
Medical School: UNTHSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine
Flora grew up in Irving, Texas. She graduated from Baylor University with her B.S. and Honors Distinction with her thesis titled "The Prevalence and Effect of Blood Lead Levels in Children in Rural Western Kenya." She then completed her M.S. in Biomedical Sciences Physiology Concentration at UNTHSC. Flora attended the UNTHSC Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine on a United States Air Force Health Professions Scholarship. Flora is excited to continue pursuing her passion for family medicine and global health at the Marshall University Family Medicine program. After residency she will serve her commitment with the USAF by taking care of her community and fellow Airmen. Flora enjoys spending time with her family and friends, traveling, group fitness classes, and knitting/crochet/weaving/all things fiber arts.
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Sydney C. Sheppard, MD was raised in Saulsville, West Virginia. She graduated from Wyoming County East High School and later Marshall University where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Biology. Upon graduating from college, Sydney worked as a medical scribe while applying to medical school. She graduated from the Joan. C. Edwards School of Medicine in 2022. Along with spending time with her husband Jordan, she enjoys using her free time to read, garden, and travel. She is excited to continue pursuing her passion for Family Medicine at Marshall.
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Blue grew up in Huntington, West Virginia and attended Huntington High School. She continued her education at Marshall University, in Huntington, WV and University of Chester, in Cheshire, United Kingdom. After graduating from Marshall University with her B.S. in Exercise Science, she attended Medical School at Marshall. She loves spending time with her family and two dogs, Ozzy and Delilah. In her free time, Blue enjoys spending time outside, biking, hiking, skiing, kayaking, or simply sitting on her front porch during a rainy spring evening. She likes adding to her extensive LEGO collection, traveling, watching great films and cooking for family and friends. She is very passionate about working in Appalachia and is a proud West Virginian. Blue is enthusiastic about working with underserved populations and addressing healthcare disparities. She is incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to continue her training in her hometown and serve the community.
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Justin grew up in Chapmanville, WV and graduated from Logan High School. He finished both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Marshall University and went on to work as a DNA Analyst at the Marshall University Forensic Science Center prior to medical school. After some time away, Justin is excited to return to his adopted hometown and continue his medical training at Marshall. In his spare time, he enjoys watching television, cooking, and spending time with his dog.
Undergraduate: University of Kentucky
Medical School: University of Kentucky College of Medicine
Jacob grew up in the small town of Middlesboro in Southeastern Kentucky. He received his B.S. in Biology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky before matriculating to the UK College of Medicine. In his free time, Jacob enjoys playing tennis, video games, and watching UK football and basketball. Jacob has long been passionate about outreach in the rural Appalachian region and looks forward to the opportunity to continue his training in service of Huntington and the surrounding communities.
Undergraduate: West Virginia University
Medical School: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Kendell McNeely grew up in Barboursville, WV and attended Cabell Midland High School. She went on to complete her college education at WVU in Morgantown, WV, but was excited to return to her hometown for her medical education. Kendell enjoys having all of her family close by as she completes her residency training with Marshall Family Medicine, and in her free time loves to play with her two cats, Louie and Toosi, take care of her plant collection, serve at her local church, travel, and spend time with her friends.
Undergraduate: Netaji Model School
Medical School: Government College of Amritsar
Pallavi grew up in suburban North India and trained in Obstetrics and Gynecology before moving to the United States. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family and cooking. Her two boys are her stress relief. Cooking is like meditation for her and what makes it more interesting is her boys dance with joy every time she cooks. She loves being at Marshall and raising her family in Huntington.
Undergraduate: West Virginia University
Medical School: WVU School of Medicine
Yasamin grew up in Morgantown WV. She graduated from University High School and went on to attend WVU for college, where she obtained her degrees in Chemistry and Biology in pursuit of a career in medicine. After college, Yasamin attended WVU School of Medicine, where she completed her doctorate in medicine.
Undergraduate: University of Dayton
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
Mitchell grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. He attended the University of Dayton, obtaining a B.S. in biology. After, he graduated from West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in Lewisburg, WV and is pursuing his passion to become a family medicine physician. Mitchell enjoys playing and watching soccer, trying new food, travelling, and spending time with his friends and family. He is very excited to have the opportunity to be in West Virginia to continue his training and serve his local community.
Undergraduate: University of Kent
Medical School: St. Christopher Iba Mar Diop College of Medicine
Louis grew up in Dakar, Senegal where he graduated from Cours Sainte Marie de Hann with a French Scientific Baccalaureate. He went on to study computer science at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England and medicine at St. Christopher Iba Mar Diop College of Medicine in Dakar. He later moved to Geneva, Switzerland and worked for the World Health Organization's Emergencies Program, responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and other communicable disease outbreaks. He is excited by the opportunity to join the Family Medicine team at Marshall University School of Medicine, in his spouse Skye’s hometown. Louis enjoys spending time with friends and family, reading (especially fantasy), and is an avid video gamer.
Undergraduate: Alderson Broaddus University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Seth grew up in West Lafayette, Ohio before moving to West Virginia for his higher education. He attended Alderson Broaddus University where he received a B.S. in Biology and M.S. in Human Anatomy. Seth completed his medical education at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. He and his wife Mackenzie, a current neurology resident at Marshall, have been married since 2016 and have a handsome son named Parker. Seth enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and enjoying the great outdoors. He is passionate about rural healthcare and one day hopes to practice the full spectrum of family medicine in these areas.
Undergraduate: West Virginia University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Ryan grew up in Charleston West Virginia and attended George Washington high school. He went on to receive his bachelors degree in biology at WVU. Shortly after graduating, he was accepted into the Peace Corps for which he spent 2 years volunteering at a remote health outpost in Guyana South America. Ryan returned to WV to attend Marshall Medical School where he received his Doctorate in Medicine, and went on to complete a preliminary year of residency in Internal Medicine. Outside the hospital, Ryan likes to spend his free time outside, playing guitar, or attending a stand up comedy show. Now thriving in Family Medicine, Ryan has aspirations of pursuing addiction medicine and palliative care.
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM)
Madison grew up just across the river in Ashland, Kentucky and attended Paul G. Blazer High School. She continued her education at Marshall University where she received her B.S. in Biology. After graduation, she moved to Lewisburg, West Virginia for medical school at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM). In her free time, Madison enjoys spending time with friends and family, cooking, serving at her local church, and playing golf or tennis. She is excited for the opportunity to return home and complete her residency training at her alma mater.
Undergraduate: University of Louisville
Medical School: University of Louisville School of Medicine
Jacob grew up in Williamsburg, Kentucky, about three hours southwest of Huntington, WV. After graduating high school, Jacob wanted to see the big city and decided to pursue his undergraduate education at the University of Louisville, where he graduated with his B.A. in biology and minor in Spanish. From there he obtained his medical degree from the University of Louisville School of Medicine as part of the Trover Rural Track, completing his clerkships in a small town in western Kentucky. Among his many interests, Jacob enjoys spending time with his friends and family, studying ecology, gardening, baking desserts, and relaxing with some video games.
Undergraduate: Virginia Commonwealth University & Hampton University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Richard was born and raised in Ghana. He moved to the United States after winning the diversity visa lottery (green card) program after graduating from University of Ghana leaving behind his entire family. To pursue his dream of becoming a physician, he restarted his education here in the US by obtaining his bachelor's degree in psychology and biology from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA , followed by a master's degree in medical sciences from Hampton University. He obtained his MD from Marshall University's Joan C Edwards School of Medicine and is happy to continue to further his training here to be closer to his loved ones and son (Kojo). In his spare time, he likes to work on cars, read and cook.
Undergraduate: Concord University, BS in Biology
Medical School: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
I grew up in Beckley, West Virginia from third grade on until high school graduation. After receiving my undergraduate degree in biology from Concord University in Athens, West Virginia, I moved to Huntington and finished a Master degree in Biomedical Sciences/research. The second year of my medical education was during the height of the Covid pandemic, but was also the time I gave birth to my now 3 year old daughter, Lilith. Together she and I enjoy swimming, going to parks/playgrounds, painting and drawing. I look forward to advancing in my family medicine career with Marshall and providing for rural communities like those which raised me.
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Blass grew up in Kenova, WV and attended Spring Valley High School. She obtained her B.S. in Biochemistry from Marshall University. Blass was a competitive cheerleader for nearly twenty years, and while cheering at Marshall, she increasingly became interested in Sports Medicine. After graduating, she attended medical school at Marshall University. In her free time, she enjoys sporting events, spending time with family and friends, baking, decorating for holidays, working puzzles, and watching a good Netflix series. She is happily married to her husband, Dalton Tucker, and looks forward to what their future holds. She likes traveling and new adventures, but she always looks forward to coming back home to WV. With a passion for serving her community and rural care, she is excited to pursue a career in Family Medicine.
Undergraduate: Marshall University
Medical School: Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine
Makala grew up in Gilbert, WV. She graduated from Mingo Central High School (Go Miners!), and later became one of the Herd for her undergraduate and medical school studies. She is a proud wife, girl mom and dog mom. She enjoys baking, live music and cheering for the Herd! Makala is honored to serve the Huntington area that has been such a great home to her for the last several years.