About Us
At Summit Integrative Medicine, we provide naturopathic and regenerative medicine for pain, function, and vitality — with a root-cause, whole-person approach to healing.
Our Core Values
ROOT-CAUSE FOCUSED
We dont just manage symptoms — we identify and address the underlying causes of illness, injury, and imbalance to create lasting healing.
NATURAL + EVIDENCE-BASED
Our therapies blend the wisdom of naturopathic medicine with advanced, evidence-based treatments to restore function and vitality.
EMPOWERING CARE
Patients are active partners in their health journey. We listen, educate, and provide personalized plans that support confidence and self-healing.
WHOLE-PERSON HEALING
We care for the body, mind, and lifestyle, recognizing that true health means balance across all aspects of life.
Precision & Integrity: We provide results-driven, professional care grounded in clinical excellence, research, and ethical practice.
COMMUNITY-CENTERED
We are committed to accessible healthcare and inclusive support for our community. With bilingual providers and a welcoming environment, we ensure that every patient feels seen, heard, and cared for.
Our Mission
At Summit Integrative Medicine, we are dedicated to helping patients overcome pain, restore function, and achieve lasting vitality. We blend the principles of naturopathic medicine with regenerative, functional, and traditional therapies to provide a root-cause, whole-person approach to healing. As a practice, we are dedicated to restoring compassion, accessibility, and individualized care to modern healthcare. We combine comprehensive assessment, advanced diagnostics, evidence-based, innovative, and traditional therapies to support and enhance the bodys innate healing abilities by addressing the underlying cause and any obstacles to healing. We believe in supporting our patients to feel empowered to take an active role in their healing. Committed to accessibility and community, our bilingual team provides integrative, results-driven care that promotes lasting healing.
What is Naturopathic Medicine?
At Summit Integrative Medicine, we believe that true healing begins with supporting the bodys natural ability to restore balance. Naturopathic medicine combines time-tested natural therapies with the latest medical advances to treat illness and promote lifelong wellness. Instead of simply covering up symptoms, naturopathic doctors look deeper to uncover the root causes of health concerns and remove obstacles to healing.
Naturopathic care emphasizes the least invasive, most natural, and most effective therapies available, helping patients recover while minimizing side effects. This approach views each person as an integrated whole — body, mind, and lifestyle — and works to create individualized treatment plans that empower patients with the knowledge and tools to stay well.
The Six Principles of Naturopathic Medicine
Our doctors are guided by six core principles of naturopathic medicine that shape every patient encounter.
FIRST, DO NO HARM
Choosing the safest, least toxic, and most effective treatments possible.
THE HEALING POWER OF NATURE
Supporting the bodys innate wisdom and ability to heal.
IDENTIFY & TREAT THE ROOT CAUSE
Looking beyond symptoms to uncover and address root issues.
DOCTOR AS TEACHER
Educating and empowering patients to take an active role in their health.
TREAT THE WHOLE PERSON
Recognizing the connections between physical, mental, emotional, social, and environmental health.
PREVENTION
Focusing on long-term wellness and reducing the risk of future illness.
At Summit Integrative Medicine, these principles guide everything we do — from integrative pain management and regenerative medicine to womens health, hormones, nutrition, and preventive care. Our goal is to help you feel your best, not just for today, but for years to come.
The Naturopathic Therapeutic Order
Our Community
OUR COMMITMENT TO TUCSON COMMUNITY
At Summit Integrative Medicine, we feel truly privileged to serve the Tucson community we call home. Tucsons diversity, warmth, and resilience inspire us every day to make healthcare more compassionate, accessible, and personalized. Our mission goes beyond treating illness — we aim to empower, educate, and support the individuals and families who make this city so special.
Through bilingual care, community outreach, and a dedication to evidence-based, whole-person medicine, we are honored to help our neighbors live healthier, more vibrant lives. Serving Tucson isnt just our profession — its our passion and purpose.
About Dr. Clifton
Dr. Clifton is a licensed naturopathic physician and founder of Summit Integrative Medicine, where she is dedicated to helping patients overcome pain, restore function, and achieve lasting vitality. She blends the principles of naturopathic medicine with regenerative, functional, and traditional therapies to provide a root-cause, whole-person approach to healing. With a passion for bringing compassion, accessibility, and individualized care back into healthcare, she combines comprehensive assessment, advanced diagnostics, evidence-based innovative and traditional therapies to support and enhance the bodys innate healing abilities by addressing the underlying cause and any obstacles to healing. As a physician, educator, and advocate for her patients, she empowers and supports her patients to take an active role in their healing – whether they are seeking relief and healing from chronic pain and injury, navigating womens health and hormones, seeking naturopathic family care, mental clarity, energy and performance optimization, or needing a provider who believes in taking time to listen, investigate, and support you in your health.
Dr. Clifton received her undergraduate degree in Psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and graduated from Sonoran University of Health Sciences in Arizona with a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine with Honors in Community Health. She completed a two-year preceptorship in naturopathic medicine with a clinical focus in orthopedic regenerative medicine, natural family medicine, womens health, hormones, and medical aesthetics at Phoenix Natural Family Medicine in Chandler, AZ, where she then practiced as an associate physician before returning to her hometown of Tucson, Arizona. She founded Summit Integrative Medicine to provide culturally competent and accessible individualized care as a bilingual provider to her local community.
In addition to her clinical practice, she serves as an instructor, teaching introductory and advanced ultrasound-guided injection techniques for musculoskeletal and nerve-related pain, injury, and inflammation to physicians, medical students, and other healthcare professionals. Her instruction focuses on improving precision, safety, and patient outcomes in regenerative medicine and integrative pain management. Dr. Cliftons commitment to lifelong learning, mentorship, and community service is reflected in her ongoing participation in advanced medical trainings, mentorship, and research-based continuing education. She remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of evidence-informed treatment strategies, clinical safety, and innovative therapeutics to continually elevate the quality of care for her patients. Her volunteer work and active involvement with Naturopaths Without Borders, an organization focused on improving global health equity who provide integrative medical care and education to underserved communities, reflects her consistent dedication to professional growth service, and delivering accessible, high-quality care to her patients.
Meet Our Providers
Melisa Clifton, NMD
Naturopathic Physician, Founder of Summit Integrative Medicine
Patrick D.
Operations Manager, Practice Coordinator