A native of Illinois, Dr. Shepherd earned a BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is still working on obtaining an MPH from the University of Illinois School of Public Health.  He completed medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine-Rockford where he was involved in a community oriented primary care project involving childhood obesity, the family medicine interest group, and the Rural Medical Education program.   Professional interests include rural mental health, public health, and healthcare in transgendered individuals.   Hobbies and interests include entertainment and film, video games,  watching and playing sports, and reading.   Dr. Shepherd avoids black and gold like the plague, as he bleeds blue and orange.  Email:  benjamin-shepherd@uiowa.edu