09:00, 08 August 2025
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
During the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns, our society developed a new appreciation for those in medicine - particularly those on the front lines, like doctors, nurses and others.
Dr Michelle Tyson, M.D., is one of those people. While no longer actively practicing medicine, Michelle’s years of experience within the medical field are helping her to change the world.
Michelle’s main project is Call the Car, of which she is the Founder and CEO. After seeing how difficult many patients found it to reach essential care, and at the suggestion of her husband, Michelle set up Call the Car - initially focusing on Medicare patients in need of dialysis.
Dialysis is a medical procedure which removes waste and excess moisture from the body. This is something that kidneys ordinarily take care of, but for those with kidney failure, they need a machine to do it for them
"It's not just about getting the patient to the appointment. It's about the interaction that they were having with the drivers and with everybody,” says Michelle. “We realized that if patients missed dialysis twice in a row because of transportation difficulties, they could end up in the ICU. So it became apparent that this was a population we could have a huge impact on, not just for the health plan, but for the overall health system."
Call the Car now also helps patients who need transporting for other non-emergency, but still vital, procedures such as chemotherapy.
Actions such as this is incredibly impactful, not only because of how overworked healthcare systems are across the globe, but because finances are a huge barrier to healthcare. That’s why Call the Car targets those who qualify for Medicare, ensuring all those in need can access lifesaving medical care.
“Restoring hope, restoring access, so people can see what doctors can do, means that primary care doctors and family medicine doctors will become more important,” adds Michelle. “Because AI can't give you hope like another human being can.”
Aside from Call the Car, Michelle is involved in myriad other philanthropic endeavours - something that runs in her family, as we discovered when we interviewed her sister, Amber Tyson, also a doctor and philanthropist.
Their late father was a doctor who used his position to help those in need, often taking alternative forms of payment such as produce from those who could not afford monetary payment. Since then, all of his four children, three doctors and one veterinarian, have continued his legacy of giving.
"Philanthropy is probably one of the most pleasurable things that I am privileged to do at now, at a more meaningful level,” admits Michelle.
The Tyson and Hagopian Family Endowment gives unrestricted support to grants made in the Pasadena area. Funded by their family, the Tysons are continuously supporting the area where their children grew up, and their father helped so many.
Within Call the Car, Michelle continues this culture of community, utilising her organisation to help employees give back to the causes that are close to their hearts.
“I'm happy to say that we conferred some of the same things that our family believes in into the organisation,” says Michelle. “The entire company, comprised of about four or 500 people, are big supporters of the National Kidney Foundation.” The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is a nonprofit that focuses on kidney health, supporting patients with kidney disease, promoting organ donation, and funding research.
“It's nice to be able to do that, from a corporate, company level, and follow this philosophy as the founder that community is community.”
Alongside Call the Car and the Tyson and Hagopian Family Endowment, Michelle is involved in supporting a whole host of other charities and organisations. One of these is the Pasadena Community Foundation, established in 1953 as a public charity dedicated to building a permanent philanthropic legacy in Pasadena. It works with donors to create endowed funds and distributes grants across six key areas—Arts & Culture, Community & Economic Development, Environment & Animal Welfare, Health & Safety, Human Services, and Youth & Education.
“I believe that we all are actually philanthropic people,” says Michelle. “We give in some way or another, but being able to quantify that and with money and direct it, that's a much more conscious effort.”
The legacy of Michelle and Amber’s father and his love of community is alive today in the way they care for others. Despite no longer working full time in the trenches, their experience in healthcare and love for community is powering their philanthropy, one person at a time.
“Philanthropy is understanding,” says Michelle. “Understanding a person, and understanding what impact you can make.”
At Smiley Movement, we elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this post.
Call the Car: Founded by Michelle Tyson, Call the car is a compassionate and innovative healthcare transport service offering reliable non‑emergency medical and non‑medical journeys across California, ensuring that essential care is accessible to all. Find out more.
Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders: An internationally operating organisation that provides urgent medical care to people affected by conflict, epidemics, and disasters worldwide, often in the most challenging environments. Learn more here.
National Kidney Foundation: A is a US-based charity that The National Kidney Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of kidney patients through education, research, and advocacy. Support them here.
This article aligns with the SDG Good Health and Wellbeing, Partnerships For The Goals.
