Melody Tillyer, PA, is a physician assistant on Summit Health’s Cardiology team. Ms. Tillyer pursued a career in health care so she could combine two of her passions — human physiology, and her desire to help people.

Her area of medical expertise is in cardiology where she treats patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings. Ms. Tillyer has a specific clinical focus in managing heart failure, arrhythmias, and preventative cardiovascular care. “I approach health care as a team effort. It’s about meeting the patient where they are in order to help them make positive changes for their health,” she says.

According to Ms. Tillyer, the most important thing during a patient visit is that they leave their appointment feeling that their concerns were genuinely listened to and that they understand the collaborative plan to address or work up those concerns.

She believes that medicine is as much an art as it is a science. Ms. Tillyer finds fulfillment in being creative and individualizing each patient’s visit to meet their needs and abilities. She wants to make a difference in her patients’ lives and enjoys building a partnership with them to develop their treatment plan.

Outside of treating patients, Ms. Tillyer enjoys the outdoors, hiking, exercising, training for Spartan obstacle course races, and spending time with her family, friends, and dogs. She is passionate about educating the public about healthy living and nutrition. Lastly, Ms. Tillyer cares a great deal about animals and plans to open a shelter for older dogs in the future.