Melissa Ward has been a nurse practitioner for over 20 years. She completed her Doctorate in Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama Huntsville in 2009. She holds two national board certifications with the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) as a family nurse practitioner as well as an acute care nurse practitioner. She has a certificate in Health Coaching from Emory University in Georgia, a certificate in Diabetic Care from University of Alabama Birmingham, a certificate in Wellness and Nutrition from Dr. Sears’ Institute. She is nationally certified in Rural Health Care from the National Association of Rural Health. She has recently completed her certification in Nutrition Science at Cornell University.