Dr. Sylvia Riley always knew she wanted to be a doctor. The combination of ongoing learning and helping people appealed to her from a young age. Today she enjoys making excellent patient care the core of her approach to medicine. She believes the most successful healing happens when doctors understand their patients’ medical charts, are familiar with their unique personal situations and beliefs, and can accurately assess their level of knowledge about their illness. Her goal is always to listen to patients and provide compassionate care that encompasses the entirety of an individual’s situation.

As a hospitalist, Dr. Riley diagnoses and treats a broad range of issues but has a specific interest in inpatient management of delirium, diabetes, and congestive heart failure. She finds educating patients and families about illnesses, treatments, and long-term care for chronic conditions particularly rewarding.

Dr. Riley earned a doctor of medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and completed an internship and residency at Providence Portland Medical Center. She also holds a bachelor of science in biology from the University of Oregon. Before joining Vancouver Clinic, she worked at Providence and a hospital in New Zealand.

Dr. Riley and her husband are the parents of two girls. In her free time, Dr. Riley enjoys growing dahlias and tending her little chicken flock, which rewards her daily with farm-fresh eggs. Fortunately, soft-boiled eggs are one of her favorite foods. Dr. Riley learned German as a teenager and is still conversant in the language.