About us

Piñon Family Practice is an independently owned primary care provider for all ages, pediatrics' to geriatric’s. Our family medicine doctors and physician assistants and nurse practitioner are singularly focused on providing our patients with the best care possible.  We are not hospital owned, and we only care about serving the best interests of our patients and not those of pharmaceutical, hospital and insurance companies.  We are able to genuinely partner with each patient and their family and that makes us unique!

Dr. Tamara S. Wilson founded this private medical practice in 1996 because of the importance she places on developing close, long term relationships with her patients.  As Dr. George Quick and Dr. Darcy Scheeler joined the team in the following years, our family practice reached new levels of service to our patients without compromising its original vision.  Later joined by our amazing Advanced Practice Providers Trista Kral, PA-C, Jacqueline Van Cleave, FNP-C, Mackenzie Neal, PA-C, Amitav (“Tav”) Rahman PA-C, Kelly Bennett, FNP-C, and Rita Norelli, FNP-C we have continued to grow with our Littleton, Colorado community. 

While our family practice has grown, we have never lost sight of what matters most. As we say, "Keeping you healthy is our primary focus”. We don’t only provide “sick-visit” or acute care but ongoing, preventative care and disease prevention and management.   You and your family deserve to have a family doctors office who will partner with you and will place your needs above the demands of corporate hospital groups, pharmaceutical and insurance companies. You deserve to have a family-friendly place to turn to when you’re sick and need medical advice.  You deserve to receive education and advice for disease prevention and management.  You deserve to have continuous and familiar medical care with a team of professionals who know you and your family.  You deserve to be an individual and unique patient with a voice, not a number in a healthcare system.  You will find all that you deserve in your primary care provider at Pinon Family Practice.

Tamara S. Wilson, M.D. - Founder and Partner

Dr Wilson is originally from Illinois but has been a Coloradan in heart since her first visit here on a family vacation. She graduated from Knox College in Galesburg, IL and then attended Rush Medical College in Chicago, IL. She completed her residency in Family Practice in Fontana, CA at Kaiser Permanente Family Practice Residency.

Dr Wilson moved to Colorado in 1992 to begin her practice here in the Denver area. She founded Piñon Family Practice in 1996. Dr Wilson is Board Certified in Family Practice and enjoys the many varied aspects of Family Medicine. She takes pleasure in developing close relationships with her patients over the long term.

Rita Norelli, FNP-C, MSN, BSN.

Rita Norelli was born in the bay area and grew up in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. She attended the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. Rita started her nursing career at Lutheran Medical Center on the medical-surgical & oncology floor where she remained a few years. While working in acute medical Rita explored mental health nursing and has worked with children, adolescents and adults. Rita made strides in the mental health field in her management roles and was a part of a DEI committee to find solutions to improve the current mental health care model. Through her time in the mental health field Rita found she is passionate about preventative health and patient education. Rita graduated with her Masters degree in the Family Nurse Practitioner program at Post University where she completed her program with Sigma Theta Tau Honors. Rita is a member of NAHN National Association of Hispanic Nurses, Denver Chapter and Board Certified by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Rita is bilingual in English and Spanish. She lives in Arvada with her husband George and their two sons. In her downtime Rita enjoys visiting family, running, hiking and being outdoors. Her family visits Florida once a year and loves being near the ocean.

Darcy Scheeler, M.D., MBA, Partner

Dr Scheeler was born and raised in Boulder, CO. She attended the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where she received a double degree as a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Business Administration.

She completed residency in Family Practice at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr Scheeler is Board Certified in Family Practice and has been in private practice since 2003. Her goal as a physician is to develop a partnership with each patient.
"This goal is achieved through the simple art of listening to patients and their family, so we together can create a plan for optimal health."

Amy Patterson, Practice Manager

Amy has nearly 30 years of expertise in Healthcare Administration, Revenue Cycle Management, Clinical Staffing, Consulting and Management.  Amy has always had true passion for helping Physicians and privately owned practices grow and thrive through all aspects of billing and revenue cycle management, patient-centered care, care continuity and satisfaction, clinical team growth and development, and regulatory compliance.  In 2007 Amy found her “home” at Pinon Family Practice and handles many responsibilities including oversight of day-to-day practice and business operations, strategic planning and analysis, and leading and maintaining our continued focus in whole-person and patient-centered care.  A native to Colorado, she and her husband Jake, a Youth Corrections Officer have three children that keep them very busy with school and year round softball and baseball travel teams.  When not at work, she’s likely found on a softball or baseball field!  Amy also loves to keep everyone at Pinon on their toes with practical jokes and humor. 

Kelly Bennett, FNP-C

Kelly is a California native coming to us from Texas where she has lived for the past 26 years. She worked in adult ICU/CCU from 2001 to 2014 when she graduated with her Master's degree in the family nurse practitioner program from Texas Woman's University. She has worked in family medicine since then and loves infants, geriatrics and everything in between. Kelly is passionate about disease prevention and loves to partner with her patients to create health care goals that are tailored to their personal needs. She and her husband are excited to start the second part of their lives as recent empty nesters, and cannot wait to explore all the things Colorado has to offer.

Trista Kral, PA-C (Swift)

Trista Swift is originally from Fargo, ND. She graduated in 2010 from North Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science in Zoology. She then went on to obtain her Masters of Physician Assistant from Wichita State University in Kansas. As a new graduate, she was very excited to make Littleton, CO her permanent home. Trista joined the Pinon Family Practice team in 2015. She values a whole-person approach to caring for patients and she is very passionate about patient education and preventive care. She has a special interest in women’s health. She married her husband Jeff in 2018. They have two energetic boys, Nolan and Aiden. In her spare time, Trista enjoys camping, hiking, road biking and snowboarding in the Colorado Mountains with her family.

Jacqueline Van Cleave, FNP-C.

Jacqueline Van Cleave is a Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioner and licensed in the state of Colorado. She originally attended Regis University, in Denver, Colorado, where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. After 7 successful and rewarding years of nursing at St. Joseph Hospital and Littleton Adventist Hospital, Jacqueline pursued her longterm aspiration of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner. While working in the Oncology and Hospice unit of Littleton Adventist, Jacqueline completed her Master of Science in Nursing at Simmons University in 2019 graduating with honors.  An active member of the American College of Nurse Practitioners, Jacqueline is fluent in English and Spanish with a passion for providing holistic care to all patients from all walks of life. Jacqueline and her husband recently welcomed their first child to the world. While mom duties keep her busy these days she also enjoys reading, traveling, the occasional hike in the mountains with her growing family and contributing as a Board of Trustee Member at Arrupe Jesuit High School, her alma mater

Mackenzie Neal, PA-C.

Mackenzie Neal is a physician assistant who graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Physician Assistant Program in 2014. Prior to joining Pinon Family Practice, Mackenzie worked at a family practice in Rochester, NY, where she grew up. Mackenzie brings a wealth of knowledge and 6+ years of family medicine experience to Pinon Family Practice. Mackenzie strives to take a well-rounded approach to her practice and is passionate about healthcare maintenance and preventative education for patients of all ages. In her spare time, Mackenzie enjoys cooking, traveling, and exploring Colorado.

Amitav (Tav) Rahman, PA-C

Tav grew up right here in Littleton, Colorado. After receiving a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Science at Colorado State University, Tav moved to Pennsylvania where he attended PA school at Lock Haven University. Tav received a Masters of Health Sciences degree in Physician Assistant Studies and returned to Littleton, excited to make Pinon Family Practice his new home. Tav values patient-focused care and wants to serve the community by providing the resources to achieve the best health possible for every individual he meets. He lives with his wife who works as a zookeeper and he loves to run and exercise in his free time.