Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Shepherd, APRN, FNP-BC.
Hi Ben, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My path into medicine started earlier than most. I grew up watching my dad practice family medicine in Denton County for nearly five decades, so caring for patients was simply part of everyday life in our home. From a young age, I spent countless hours around his clinic and, in many ways, really did grow up in a doctor’s office. I often followed him on hospital rounds, and before I was 15, I was already helping out wherever I could.
By my teens, I was formally working in the practice and gained exposure to nearly every part of it, including the front office, operations, and especially the clinical side. I roomed patients, assisted with procedures, stocked supplies, and learned how a medical practice truly runs from the ground up. Those early experiences shaped how I think about patient care today.
For a time, I thought I might pursue music instead. I play several instruments and still enjoy it, but I eventually realized music was an emotional reset and a healthy outlet, while healthcare was where I felt most called to serve and make a tangible difference.
Over the last 20+ years, I’ve worked across many areas of healthcare, including memory care, clinical research, senior-focused outpatient medicine, and critical care nursing in a busy trauma ICU. Each setting strengthened my clinical judgment, but I consistently found myself drawn back to primary care, where relationships, prevention, and continuity matter most.
After earning my Family Nurse Practitioner degree and board certification through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, I practiced alongside my dad for the first three years of my career with Privia Medical Group in Flower Mound. It was a fast-paced, high-volume environment that quickly sharpened my skills and confirmed that comprehensive family medicine was exactly where I belonged.
I also come from a large family, one of eleven kids, which probably explains why family-centered care feels so natural to me. Growing up in a busy household taught me patience, adaptability, and the importance of showing up for one another.
Eventually, I felt called to build something more personal and community-focused. That led us to open Shepherd Family Medicine & Wellness in Allen, a city my wife grew up in and a place we truly love, where we ultimately chose to lay our roots and raise our family. Today we are raising our kids here, and we are grateful to care for the same neighbors we share life with each day.
Our clinic is designed to feel welcoming, accessible, and relationship-driven, with a strong focus on timely, thoughtful care. At the heart of it all, helping individuals and families live healthier lives and walking alongside them long term gives me the greatest sense of purpose and fulfillment.
My goal has always been simple: to create the kind of practice I grew up seeing, one rooted in trust, service, and genuine connection.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a perfectly smooth road, but every step has been a learning experience. Starting and running a practice means wearing many hats, from clinical care to operations and the business side of things. Since we’re still in the early years of building the practice, there are plenty of long days where we’re trying to do everything at 100 percent while short on time, constantly improving what we do, managing the details behind the scenes, and still making sure every patient feels genuinely cared for. I think many small business owners can relate to that balancing act.
Each challenge has pushed us to refine our systems and be more intentional about how we work. My mindset has always been to keep improving, because when the process gets better, patient care gets better. In the end, those lessons have helped us build a stronger, more thoughtful experience for the people who trust us with their care.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Shepherd Family Medicine & Wellness is an independent, relationship-driven primary care clinic serving individuals and families across Allen and the surrounding North Dallas communities. We provide comprehensive family medicine with a strong focus on prevention, chronic disease management, and helping patients take a proactive approach to their long-term health.
Clinically, I’ve been fortunate to learn alongside many outstanding mentors throughout my career, including physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other healthcare professionals, and I still approach medicine as a lifelong student. Over the years, I’ve built strong relationships with local practices, specialists, surgeons, and my collaborating physician, allowing us to coordinate care seamlessly when patients need more advanced or specialized support. That collaborative network has been invaluable in delivering safe, well-rounded care.
One area we’re especially known for is weight management and metabolic health, with a strong focus on cardiovascular risk reduction and heart disease prevention. Rather than quick fixes, we work closely with patients to build sustainable, personalized plans that address root causes and support long-term wellness. My background in critical care shaped a prevention-first mindset, and my goal is always to help patients stay healthy and out of the hospital whenever possible.
What really sets us apart is the experience. As a small, locally owned practice, we’re able to keep care personal and accessible. We take time to listen, build genuine relationships, and treat patients like people, not appointments, while continually refining our workflows so visits feel smooth, thoughtful, and unrushed.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud that our clinic feels welcoming and trusted. Many of our patients bring their spouses, kids, and even grandparents to the same place, and that multi-generational trust means everything to us. We’ve worked hard to build not just a medical office, but a true healthcare home for the community.
At the end of the day, we want people to know that we’re here for the long run, providing high-quality, compassionate care and walking alongside our patients through every stage of life.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
I’ve learned that mentorship and networking don’t have to be formal or complicated. Most of the meaningful relationships in my career happened naturally by simply showing up, working hard, and being someone others could rely on.
Early on, I made it a point to stay curious, ask questions, and learn from the people around me, whether that was physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, or office staff. Healthcare is very much a team effort, and some of the best lessons come from everyday collaboration, not just formal mentorship.
I’ve also found that consistency matters. When you treat people with respect, communicate well, and genuinely care about doing good work, relationships tend to grow over time. Many of the colleagues and specialists I work closely with today are people I met years ago in the clinic or hospital setting, and those connections have developed into trusted professional friendships.
My advice would be to focus less on “networking” and more on serving well and staying open to learning. If you do that, the right mentors and connections tend to find you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.shepherdfamilymedicine.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Shepherd-Family-Medicine-Wellness-61557338219094/
