Dr. Jill Tyler

by Sandy Barrett, director of Physician Relations

Animals and sushi, these are two of the great loves of Dr. Jill Tyler, OB/GYN with Pinnacle Women’s Healthcare.  Dr. Tyler, who joined the group in 2008, grew up in a small town in northern Illinois.  The oldest of four children, Dr. Tyler’s father was a veterinarian; as a result, animals have been a big part of her life.  Watching her father fueled her interest in medicine.

“I always knew, since I was 10 or 12 years old, that I wanted to go into medicine,” she says.  “I remember telling people that I wanted to be a doctor!”

Dr. Tyler went to college at the University of Illinois and then to medical school at Southern Illinois University.  During medical school she decided she really wanted to be an advocate for women and so she chose to go into Obstetrics and Gynecology. She and her husband, Aaron, who hails from the same small town in Illinois, moved to Denver where she did her residency at UCHSC.

“Denver is such an awesome place to live,” said Dr. Tyler enthusiastically.

She said growing up in a small town, where everybody knows everybody, led her and her husband to seek a larger metropolitan area in which to settle. Dr. Tyler and Aaron, whom she started dating while a senior in high school, love the Denver lifestyle.  They are avid runners, with Aaron completing a marathon last year and Dr. Tyler, hoping to do another one in the future. 

“I have done two already and would definitely like to do a third,” she says.

In addition to running, Dr. Tyler took up skiing when she moved to Denver.  She had tried skiing on a “mountain” in Wisconsin growing up, but it is not quite the same as Colorado.  She earned the nickname “The Flash” due to her bright yellow coat and inability to stop! She will have to wait for next season to ski though, as she is pregnant with her second child, a boy, who will join his sister, 2-year-old Addison, in April. 

Dr. Tyler and Aaron plan to make the annual trip back to their hometown again this summer.  Both sets of parents live just five minutes from each other so it makes it somewhat easy, she says.

“Except the flip side is that no grandparent thinks they are getting their fair share of time with the grandkids!” she laughs.

While her family is very close-knit, they are spread out geographically.   She said she Skype’s with her family at least once a week, giving her a really wonderful way to stay in touch with her parents and siblings.

Aside from Illinois, Dr. Tyler is taking the oral boards at the end of the year so any other travel is limited to review courses, she jokes.   However, she will be traveling regularly to her favorite sushi spot, Sushi Tazu, in Cherry Creek.  So if you are in Cherry Creek, and like sushi, check it out.  And don’t be surprised if you see Dr. Tyler there -- she has been going there for six years and loves it!  Bon appetite Dr. Tyler!