Colton Phippen, DO

Colton Phippen, DO, is a palliative care physician at Intermountain Health's Utah Valley Clinic in Provo, Utah. He believes excellent care begins with getting to know the person, not just the illness. He takes time to listen and understand each patient's values, priorities, relationships, and hopes, particularly during times of serious illness and uncertainty. Dr. Phippen works to relieve suffering, support quality of life, and build a plan of care that is personal to each individual, so that every patient feels heard, respected, and supported. He finds the greatest meaning in connecting with patients living with serious illness, meeting them where they are and understanding who they are beyond their diagnosis.

His clinical interests center on caring for the whole person and understanding how serious illness affects patients within the context of their lives, relationships, culture, and values. He is particularly interested in ethics and complex medical decision-making, communication in serious illness, and helping patients and families navigate uncertainty and difficult choices. He is also drawn to narrative medicine, cross-cultural communication, expanding services to underserved and marginalized communities—including patients in rural, austere, and resource-limited settings—and addressing existential distress, meaning, and sources of hope.

Dr. Phippen has spent much of his life in Salt Lake City. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time in the mountains, including skiing, rock climbing, fly fishing, trail running, camping, and observing wildlife. He also enjoys reading, music, film, and the arts, and most of all, spending time with family and friends.