Dr. Byard was born and raised in Pittsburgh, she graduated from Upper St. Clair High school in 1995, afterwards attending college and graduating from Chatham University with her biochemistry degree. She did not take the traditional path into medicine; she worked for 8 years at a biotech company before deciding to change careers. She headed off to medical school as a single parent of a 4 year old son, and graduated with her M.D. in 2011. She attended the family medicine residency at The Washington hospital until 2014 at which time she stayed on as faculty.