Medical Staff

Sarah Christensen, PA

Sarah Christensen joined the team as a physician assistant in August 2015. She attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah with both academic and musical scholarships and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology in 2009. She then completed her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies at Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho in 2011. Prior to joining Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians, Sarah spent 3.5 years working in liver transplant, managing end-organ failure and post-transplant care. She is certified by the National Commission for Certification of Physician Assistants.

Sarah assists Dr. Simper, Dr. McKinlay, and Dr. Paulk in the operating room as well as the clinical setting, assisting in all aspects of patient care in surgery and the office.

Sarah grew up in Boise, Idaho but relocated to Utah shortly after graduation. She enjoys music and plays the saxophone, piano, and guitar. Sarah loves to spend time traveling and lived in Moscow, Russia for several months volunteering at a local school.

Lissa Hutchings MSN, APRN, FNP-C

Lissa Hutchings joined the team as a Nurse Practitioner in 2018. Lissa is a board-certified Nurse Practitioner specializing in family medicine. She is certified by and a member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She practiced as a Registered Nurse for 10 years before she received her Masters of Science in Nursing degree from Maryville University in 2017.
Lissa’s main focus will be assisting Dr. Simper, Dr. McKinlay and Dr. Paulk with all aspects of patient care in the office setting.

Lissa selected family practice as she enjoys building relationships with patients of all ages, gender and complexity. She has a strong passion for disease prevention and management, women’s health, weight management as well as common day to day concerns. In her personal time, she enjoys spending time camping, fishing and traveling with her spouse and son.

Jennifer Leseman, PA

Jennifer Leseman joined the team as a Physician Assistant in 2021. She completed her Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 2011. While she gained experience working in general surgery and colorectal surgery, her true passion has been bariatric surgery in which she has worked for the past 7 years. She recently moved to Utah from Northern Virginia and was excited to continue her practice in bariatric surgery with Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians. She most enjoys building strong relationships with her patients as well as listening and counseling them through all their needs in order to achieve their personal goals.

Jennifer will be assisting Dr. Simper, Dr. McKinlay, and Dr. Paulk in the office setting. In her free time she enjoys hiking, playing volleyball, and traveling with her husband and dog.

Cathy – Practice Surgery Scheduler

Cathy is a certified Medical Assistant and assists patients in scheduling surgery and pre-operative education. She enjoys her job, and loves being able to schedule patients, and feel their excitement toward a new lifestyle. She also has the task of managing our busy surgeon’s schedules, but enjoys being one of the few that get to tell the doctors where to be. When Cathy isn’t planning everyone else’s time, she’s spending her time, skiing, gardening, or reading.

Becky – Certified Medical Assistant

Becky enjoys working with patients and helping them through their weight-loss journey. She has two boys that she loves spending time with, along with her feisty kitten Tigger. Becky loves to travel, meeting new people, along with laughing and spending lots of time in the sun! Becky is our movie critic and always knows what movies to go see, just ask!

Abi – Medical Assistant

Abi joined the RMAP staff in June of 2019 and has loved working as Dr. Paulk’s medical assistant. She enjoys seeing and ensuring the success of patients in their journeys and is always happy to help! Abi loves taking pictures of her family, especially her adorable niece and nephews. She also enjoys baking, watching movies, and going on adventures with her husband.