ALTITUDE - Key Persons
Clay Whiddon, PA-C Schedule with Clay
Clay is a Colorado native that received a bachelors of Science degree in Human Biology from University of Colorado at Colorado springs. He went on to receive at Master's Degree in Public Health from Westminster College in Salt Lake City leading to a direct commission onto active duty as a Public Health Officer in the Air Force. After 4 years and multiple decorations he transitioned to the National Guard where he continues his service as he completed a Master's in Physician Assistant Studies from the University of South Dakota. He has worked in the Emergency Department and is excited to move to Primary Care. Clay has worked in all his previous careers to prevent disease in communities and is ecstatic about the opportunity to continue that mission in Primary Care for his patients.
Clay spends his time outside of the clinic with his wife Jenny, their son Parker and daughter Adalyn enjoying life in Colorado. He is an avid cyclist, runner, hiker, hunter, fly-fisherman and skier.
Dr. Ashleigh Sartor, MD is a graduate of Swedish Medical Center Family Medicine Residency. Prior to moving to Denver for residency, she received her medical degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, and undergraduate degrees in Chemistry and Biology from Hope College in Michigan.Dr. Sartor enjoys the opportunity that Family Medicine provides for forming therapeutic relationships with a large variety of patients. Dr. Sartor brings a broad scope of care to Altitude Internal Medicine and active in all aspects of medicine including Women's Health.
Dr. Sartor maintains certification in both Primary Care and Functional Medicine. Functional Medicine uses a "whole person" approach to address the underlying causes of disease, engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership. She embraces healthy living and healthy cooking and brings this expertise to her patients and as the director of the ‘Elite Medical Weight Loss' program at Altitude.
Dr. Rebecca Nickell, DO Schedule with Dr. Nickell
Dr. Rebecca Nickell is an Osteopathic Physician who graduated from Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2002. She learned to love Colorado while completing her residency at Southern Colorado Family Medicine in Pueblo, Colorado. She enjoys treating the whole person, using a whole body rather than a disease focused approach to health and wellness. Her interests include general family medicine, well women care, osteopathic manipulation, mental health, and assisting with weight loss. She loves taking care of whole families from young children to their grandparents.
Dr Nickell grew up all over the South. After hearing about how her grandfather, a small-town family practice physician, really took care of his whole community, she knew it was her dream as well. When not practicing medicine, she loves spending time with her three daughters and extended family. She loves reading, live theater, sewing, and designing costumes for the whole family.
Job Titles:
- Practice Manager for Our SW Littleton
- Practice Manager, Littleton
Altitude welcomes Erin Harshell as the practice manager for our SW Littleton office.
Katie is originally from Vermont and moved to Colorado in 2017 after living in Boston, MA for 6 years. She worked as an Emergency Room RN for 8 years until completing her Masters in Nursing in 2021. Katie is a licensed Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner. Her experience as a Nurse Practitioner includes Primary Care, Infusion Medicine and Correctional Medicine.
For fun, Katie likes to see theatre, make candles and garden. She spends her evenings hanging out with her husband and two pups. She enjoys hiking and paddle boarding in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. Her favorite season is Fall, because of all the maple flavored treats!
Katie enjoys working in primary care as it allows for a strong patient relationship and the environment to provide individualized patient care.
Job Titles:
- PA - C Schedule With Summer
Job Titles:
- Board Certified Nurse Practitioner
- Co - Founder and Executive Vice Chair Director, Altitude Health Foundation
Shara Hansen is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner who earned her undergraduate degree in Nursing from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and her master's degree as a Family Nurse Practitioner from the University of Colorado. Shara has been practicing primary care medicine for over 20 years.
She has advanced training in Clinical Nutrition, Anti-aging Medicine, Bio-identical Hormone Therapy, Acupuncture, Medical Aesthetics, and in Executive Leadership. Shara serves as the CEO of Altitude Family & Internal Medicine and is the director of our nonprofit entity, the Altitude Health Foundation.
Shara values quality, patient-centric, holistic care for every patient. She is married to her childhood sweetheart and has 2 beautiful daughters. She enjoys spending time with her family and spending time outdoors hiking, biking, running, swimming, snowshoeing, and snowboarding.
Job Titles:
- PA - C Schedule With Summer
Summer attended and graduated from Regis University with Dean's List honors, with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She then worked for a few years as a Chemist in a pharmaceutical company before going back to school for her Physician Assistant Certificate and master's degree in medical science at Red Rocks and Saint Francis University, respectively. She feels that fostering relationships with her patients and educating them on disease processes and sequela are key to improving the health of her patients. Engaging her patients and making a collaborative plan of care with shared and informed decision making achieves the best outcomes for the patient. Her philosophy on practicing medicine is to treat the whole patient and that they are in control of their health, and she is just here for advice.
Personally, she enjoys spending time in the mountains hiking, alpine climbing, camping, rafting, and snowboarding. She has made over 70 mountain summits including Mount Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua. She enjoys travel medicine and high-altitude medicine consults. She believes that daily exercise and a healthy diet are imperative to longevity. She also took care of her father for over a year before he passed, when he had end stage diabetes and dementia, so she understands the stresses that come with care taking for a loved one despite how priceless it is to do so.