PA Program Staff
PA Program Staff
Kelly Aldridge
Kelly is the Faculty and Staff Administration Manager for Physician Assistant Education and Sciences. She is responsible for faculty affairs, faculty recruitment, human resource management, and assisting with business operations. Kelly has 22 years of experience working at the University of Utah. She likes to travel and spend time with her grandchildren. She also likes to attend the Utah Football games…Go Utes!
Email: kelly.aldridge@hsc.utah.edu
Amy Amann
Amy is the Administrative Director of the Division of Physician Assistant Education and Sciences. She is responsible for the administration and management of the division including oversight of operations, budget and finance, strategy and development, and human resource management. She received her MBA from the University of Utah and has many years of experience in healthcare administration including operations, management, program development, compliance, contracting, and revenue integrity. Amy is originally from Colorado, and in her spare time she enjoys cooking, traveling, and spending time outdoors with her family.
Email: amy.amann@hsc.utah.edu
Brenden Ashdown
Brenden is the Program Manager for the PA Division. He is responsible for maintaining clinical site and preceptor contracts for clinical student rotations. Brenden holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Utah and a Masters in Criminal Justice from Weber State University. When not working, Brenden is an avid Freestyle BMX rider and competes nationally in contests during the summer and Snowboards in the winter.
Email: brenden.ashdown@hsc.utah.edu
Jason Atherton
Originally from California, he made his way to Utah by way of Hawai‘i, Michigan, and Florida. Jason has been with the University for more than 10 years. He holds an associate degree and a bachelor’s degree in communication, along with a master’s degree in educational leadership. As a first-generation college student, Jason is passionate about creating environments where students feel supported and can thrive. In his free time, he enjoys camping with his family, golfing, and exploring the beautiful state of Utah.
Email: Jason.Atherton@hsc.utah.edu
Leslie Cepeda
Leslie is the Graduate Coordinator for the UPAP didactic team at the Salt Lake City campus. Leslie works closely with UPAP faculty, staff, and instructors to address Salt Lake City student needs during their didactic year. Leslie graduated from the U with a B.A. in Anthropology Health Emphasis and a minor in Human Biology in 2015, and a M.Ed. in Educational Leadership & Policy in 2019. She has worked at the U in various roles as a Student Success Advocate, Undergraduate Research Advisor, Graduate Assistant in Housing & Residential Education, and College Access Advisor. Thus, Leslie has experienced working with students from diverse backgrounds and different stages in their educational journey. These experiences together with her research, community engagement, and leadership involvement have helped her shaped her student-centered approach to her work in higher education: she focuses on being culturally responsive to the stories and strengths that each student brings to the U.
Email: leslie.cepeda@utah.edu
Doris Dalton
As Director of Admissions for the PA program, Doris is responsible for applicant advising and the development and implementation of admissions policies and processes. She earned her Master of Public Adminstration at the University of Utah, and joined the program in 2005. In addition, she serves as a member of the Recruitment and Admissions Council of the Physician Assistant Education Association, and chairs the Enhancements Committee for the national Central Application Service for Physician Assistants, CASPA.
Email: ddalton@upap.utah.edu
Jaxson Day
As the IT specialist for the Salt Lake City PA Division, Jaxson provides technical and audiovisual support for students, staff, and faculty. Not only ensuring IVC classes run smoothly while connected to the St. George campus but also providing IT support alongside SOM IT. Jaxson graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor's degree in gaming which he completed while working IT for the main campus allowing him to work closely with technology throughout college. In his free time, Jaxson enjoys playing video games, reading books, and skiing at Snowbird.
Email: jaxson.day@hsc.utah.edu
Abby Dowd
Abby Dowd is an Instructional Designer for the Division of Physician Assistant Education and Sciences. In this role, she collaborates with faculty to design and enhance learning experiences. She’s passionate about creating engaging and learner-centered content that helps future healthcare professionals succeed. When she’s not working, she enjoys running, baking, crocheting, and spending time with her family.
Email: abby.dowd@utah.edu
Britney Hillstead
Britney Hillstead is the Academic Program Manager of Physician Assistant Education and Sciences. Her main responsibilities are obtaining clinical rotations, retaining current preceptor relationships and assisting PA faculty with student education needs. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from Utah Valley University. There she worked in the Master of Social Work and PA departments.
Britney is originally from Utah, and has lived In Huntington Beach, Irvine and Washington DC. In her spare time, she loves to adventure outdoors, exercise, attend concerts and spend time with her kids. Some of her favorites are mountain biking, skiing, rock climbing, camping, hiking, running and pilates.
Jared Olney
Jared is the Financial Management Analyst for the Division of Physician Assistant Education and Sciences. He attended college at Weber State University and has been working in finance for various departments within the University of Utah for 20 years. When he's not crunching numbers, he enjoys spending time with his family, supporting U of U athletics, and over-exerting himself in sporting activities.
Email: jared.olney@hsc.utah.edu
Brandyn Parisette
Brandyn is responsible for the strategic direction and management of the IVC Teleconferencing equipment within the PA Division. As a Tech graduate, accomplished Project Manager with Fortune 500 companies and business owner for over 16 years, His knowledge is shaping the "Student-centric" experience through the support of IT infrastructure and services while benefiting a connected learning space to all of the Students within the program. Additionally, Brandyn provides enterprise IT support and leadership for the continued development of an innovative, robust, and secure information technology environment throughout the University.
Email: brandyn.parisette@utah.edu
Bethany Perkes
Bethany is the Academic Program Manager for the Division of Physician Assistant Studies. She works together with faculty & staff to ensure that PA students have access to the resources they need during their didactic year of the program. They have been part of the advising community at the U since 2016, working with undergraduate students in both the Academic Advising Center, and the College of Social & Behavioral Science, and joined DFPM in 2022. She was born and raised in Utah and earned both their A.S. degree at SLCC and B.S. degree at the U as a non-traditional transfer student. When they're not working, Bethany can be found road tripping with her wife, crafting, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and avoiding cooking.
Email: bethany.perkes@utah.edu
Olivia Renza
Olivia is the Clinical Education Coordinator for the Division of Physician Assistant Education and Sciences. Olivia holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Dixie State University, and a Master of Education with an emphasis in Higher Education and Student Affairs from Southern Utah University. With over five years of experience in higher education, Olivia has taken on roles that center around student support, engagement, and success, always striving to create welcoming spaces where all students feel seen and valued. Olivia grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has lived in St George for the past 7 years. Outside of work, you can find her on the pickleball or volleyball court or unwinding with a good reality TV show.
Email: olivia.renza@utah.edu
Erika Van Hove
Erika's title is Administrative Assistant working in the Family Practice and Physician Assistant area reporting to Kelly Aldridge. She is originally from Minnesota, graduated from the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and has also lived in California, Oregon, British Columbia, and Illinois. She has a background in a variety of industries and roles such as Marketing and Market Research in Food Service, Financial Services, Mining, and a few others. While new to Academia and Health Services she is nonetheless excited for the new challenges, friends and experiences she knows she will find here. She is married, a mother of two daughters and grandmother of two lively grade schoolers. She enjoys books and book clubs, Netflix and its cousins, and loves to get together for laughs with her family and friends as often as possible.
Email: erika.vanhove@utah.edu
Krystal Whitney
Krystal is the Clinical Education Coordinator for the Division of Physician Assistant
Education and Sciences in St. George. Krystal is from Portland, Oregon, and graduated
with a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Hawai’i Pacific University. She has over 10
Years of experience in Program Development and Management within nonprofit and
school systems as well as in healthcare, hospice, and elder care settings. Her career is
built with the focus of creating positive impacts through forming spaces that allow others
to find success, supporting her communities, and ensuring quality programming. Krystal
fills her time with creative hobbies such as crochet, writing, Dungeons and Dragons,
quilting, and too many more to list. She is also a nature enthusiast and is excited to
explore more of Southern Utah and the gorgeous surrounding area.
Karen Winningham
Karen is the Academic Program Manager for the UPAP didactic team at the St. George campus. She has worked with the University of Utah 1999 working in the Containing Education and Community Enrichment (CECE) department and more specifically in the Professional Education department. Karen joined UPAP in 2018 and works closely with faculty, staff, instructors, and students to address St. George campus needs during the didactic year.
Email: karen.winningham@utah.edu
