Malinda "Quinn" Achard,
Certified Physician Assistant

My philosophy of healing is based on uncovering that which is hidden within the patients before me. I listen deeply to their stories—their experiences, their patterns, their joys and struggles. And I turn my ear as well to the unspoken language of the body.  The result is a shared experience of how to best enhance the body's natural drive toward health and wellbeing.

I began my practice in New York City but eventually moved to Wyoming through the National Health Service Corps to support an underserved rural population. It was here, on the Western frontier, that I developed a clearer vision of how I could best serve others.

The seeds of my healing practice had been planted, but it was not until I sank my roots in the rich soil of North Carolina's mountains that they truly began to sprout.

The medicine I practice is a unique blending of modern medical care and old ways plant wisdom with simple, timeless methods of feeding the body, mind and soul.

I started my pre-medical training at Albion College in Michigan and obtained my Bachelor of Science with honors from Long Island University in Brooklyn. I was certified as a Physician Assistant through Brooklyn Hospital Center and affiliate hospitals including Beth Israel Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center.

Since 1996, I have practiced in a variety of medical settings including urgent care, standard family medicine, and rural medical clinics. I have also worked at several mental health and correctional facilities to deepen my understanding of the relationship between mental health and physical health.

When I first moved to Western North Carolina, I apprenticed at Asheville Integrative Medicine under Dr. James Biddle. But the small mountain community of Burnsville soon captured my heart.

I am proud to be a member of the Mountain Medical Arts family, where I am able to share the best of allopathic and alternative medicine with the residents of Yancey and Mitchell counties.

In my free time, I enjoy gardening, making herbal medicines, hiking, knitting, jewelry making, and learning to live in a more sustainable and harmonious manner with the rhythms of the earth. My fiancé and I steward a 20-acre homestead near Pensacola.