Saint Joseph Health Welcomes Tyler Elam, DO, to Primary Care Practice

WINCHESTER, Ky. (Jan. 23, 2026) – Saint Joseph Health welcomes Tyler Elam, DO, to Saint Joseph Medical Group – Primary Care in Winchester. A native of Farmers, Ky., near Morehead, Dr. Elam never wavered from his choice of primary care in his practice of medicine.

“I grew up in a farming community and, particularly in my family, I would see deficits in medical care,” Dr. Elam said. “My grandfather inspired me. He was a pastor and had a lifelong struggle with diabetes. I remember moments as a kid when I perceived that he didn’t have resources to get his medicine or seek care.”

Dr. Elam wanted to make a difference. “I don’t want to see somebody else struggle the way I watched my grandfather struggle,” he said. “I wanted to be one of the people who would stand in the gaps for those who have gaps in care.”

He chose to become a primary care provider because of the important role and connection they have with patients. “In many regards, primary care providers are kind of like quarterbacks in the football field of medicine,” he said. “The quarterback is not always scoring touchdowns, but the quarterback is vital to winning the game.”

Dr. Elam believes there is an art to medicine in that, in many instances, “you have to use different brush strokes for different patients.”

He sees patients as a whole: “I see the human, the patient as a compilation of mind, body and spirit. And if any of those three components are in a sort of dis-ease, then the unit as a whole doesn’t function at its full capacity. I take all of these things into consideration for my patients.”

He does the same for himself. Dr. Elam has been a follower of Jesus since he was 16 and uses that for inspiration in how he lives his life. He considers his wife, Brianna, and four kids, Bennett, Ella, Finn and Jack, as a gift from God. In his spare time, he enjoys going to his kids cross country meets and running, as well as music and theatre. He has played the harmonica since he was 5.

Dr. Elam is active in his church, First Church of God in Winchester, and has enjoyed mission work over the years.

He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology in December 2009, his Doctor of Osteopathy from the University of Pikeville Kentucky College of Ostepathic Medicine in 2014 and completed his residency at East Tennessee State Univesrity Quillen College of Medicine – Bristol Family Medicine Residency in June 2017.

Tyler Elam, DO, will see patients at Saint Joseph Medical Group – Primary Care, 1850 Bypass Road in Winchester. To schedule an appointment, call 859-744-5111.

About Saint Joseph Health

Saint Joseph Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 100 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes, home health agencies and an ambulatory Care Center. The hospitals in Saint Joseph Health are Flaget Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Jessamine, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, and Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to providing a wide array of services to build a healthier future for all. Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About the Saint Joseph Medical Group

Saint Joseph Medical Group is the employed provider network of Saint Joseph Health with 88 locations in 17 communities throughout central and eastern Kentucky.