Melissa Summers, MD

Melissa Summers, MD, completed her residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and her fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine and shoulder surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

By spending a few hours in the operating room, she is able to exponentially increase her patients’ function and, ultimately, their quality of life. Sports medicine, in particular, allows her to work with patients of all different activity levels and help them get back to doing the things they love.

During Dr. Summers’ residency graduation, she was awarded the Peter J. Stern, MD, Chief Resident Leadership Award. This is a recognition for outstanding qualities in professionalism, patient care and teaching.

Dr. Summers is interested in exploring sex-based differences in the management of sports injuries. The field of women’s sports has grown rapidly, but there is still limited knowledge about the incidence, causes and outcomes of treatment of injuries in female athletes. She hopes to use a multidisciplinary approach to better understand how sex-based differences affect injury prevention and treatment, and how physicians can ultimately influence these to optimize care of our athletes.

Dr. Summers most enjoys the relationships she develops with her patients. She greatly values being able to work with patients to help restore their function and decrease their pain. She believes the physician-patient relationship is a special one, and as a surgeon, she finds that it is essential to build relationships based on open communication, compassion and trust. Her philosophy has always been to treat every patient like family.

During her fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital, she gained comprehensive training in orthopaedic sports medicine, including the diagnosis and treatment of injuries of the shoulder, hip, knee, ankle and foot. Additionally, it gave her in-depth exposure to the management of complex shoulder pathology by spending four months training in the operating room with two world-renowned shoulder surgeons. Another notable aspect of her training was her experience working with the New England Patriots, in which she served as an assistant team physician for the 2020 season. Dr. Summers is also one of only a handful of female orthopaedic surgeons, and one of only a few female orthopaedic sports medicine surgeons in Cincinnati.

Outside of work, Dr. Summers enjoys spending time with her husband, who is also a physician at UC Health, their son and their dog. When they have time off, they enjoy spending time outdoors and finding new places to eat. Now that they are back in the Cincinnati area, they look forward to returning to some of their local favorites. Both Dr. Summers and her husband are graduates of the University of Notre Dame, so they look forward to cheering on both the Fighting Irish and the UC Bearcats.