Melanie Sheppard is a board certified Physician Assistant who currently practices at MUSC Health Primary Care- Village Park in Orangeburg, SC. She was born and raised in Columbia, SC. She attended Claflin University where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology and later attended the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where she earned a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. During her matriculation at MUSC, she traveled to South Africa on two separate occasions for medical mission work where she had the opportunity to provide medical care for orphans and other community members in the region of eManzana (formerly known as Badplaas) and Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). She has always desired to work in a rural community, as she has extensive family roots in both, Allendale and Fairfax County. She believes practicing medicine is a ministry that requires genuine love and a humble heart to serve others