
What if the reason many thyroid patients struggle is not the condition itself, but how thyroid care is traditionally approached?
In this episode of Modern Thyroid and Wellness, McCall McPherson continues the clinician interview series by introducing three more members of the Modern Thyroid Clinic team: Yari Tran, PA-C, Melody Volz, FNP-C, and Nikki Abelow, APRN. Yari earned her psychology degree at Texas A&M and her physician assistant training at Texas Tech, then began in neurosurgery and pain management before shifting into root-cause thyroid and hormone care. Melody trained at the University of Texas at Austin, became a family nurse practitioner in 2014, and brings both clinical expertise and her own history of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s to patient care. Nikki, a Florida-based APRN, graduated from Chamberlain University in 2019 after working as a cardiac nurse and later pursued additional functional medicine training through the School of Applied Functional Medicine.
This conversation gives listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how each clinician found their way into medicine, what changed their perspective on conventional thyroid care, and why they are so passionate about individualized treatment. Across all three interviews, a shared theme emerges: thyroid care is rarely simple, TSH alone is not enough, and patients deserve to feel seen, heard, and fully supported.
Note About This Episode
Hillary Mayers was originally scheduled to appear in this episode. Due to a technical error during recording and editing, we were unable to include her segment. We greatly value Hillary’s insights and expertise, and she will be featured in a dedicated solo episode in the future. Thank you for your understanding.
We truly appreciate your patience and support as we navigate this, and we’re excited to continue bringing you meaningful content in Thursday’s episode.
Episode Highlights
In This Episode, You Will Learn
About the Clinicians
Yari Tran, PA-C began her medical career in neurosurgery and pain management before a hormone education conference reshaped her clinical perspective and sparked her passion for functional thyroid and hormone care. She lives in Austin with her two daughters and enjoys reading, running, and hiking.
Melody Volz, FNP-C earned both her BSN and MSN from the University of Texas at Austin and became a certified family nurse practitioner in 2014. Her own experience with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s helped shape her patient-centered approach to thyroid and hormone care.
Nikki Abelow, APRN is a Florida-based advanced practice registered nurse who came from a cardiac nursing background and later expanded into functional medicine after her own health challenges pushed her to look beyond conventional care. She lives in Florida with her husband and son.
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