Sarah Jones is a pediatric nurse practitioner and certified through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. She earned her Bachelor and Master of Science in biology and secondary education from University of Tennessee. She returned to UT a few years later after teaching and starting a family to earn her Master of Science in Nursing. She joined Shults Pediatrics in 2009. She loves being a part of the Shults Pediatrics team and building relationships with our patients’ families. She lives in Knoxville with her husband, Casey, and four children who are growing up way too fast.

Sarah is a family nurse practitioner; certified through American Nurses Credentialing Center. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Belmont University and began her nursing career at University of Tennessee Medical Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Sarah earned her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner, from Belmont University in 2015. As a nurse practitioner, she has experience providing care to all ages. While working as a nurse practitioner, Sarah earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2020. She has utilized this degree to educate future nurses and nurse practitioners. She lives in the Knoxville area with her husband, daughter, and full-standard poodle. Sarah is so grateful to be a part of the team at Shults Pediatrics and is excited to continue building lasting relationships with the patients and families!

Kara is a pediatric nurse practitioner and certified through the Pediatric Nursing Certificate Board. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville then pursued her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lincoln Memorial University. She worked as a nurse in the NICU at UT Medical Center before pursuing her Masters of Science in Nursing, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner from Maryville University. She has served as a clinical nurse for both Alabama and Tennessee Air National Guard. Kara is a member of the Tennessee Nurse Practitioner Association. She lives in the Knoxville area with her husband and their two little boys. Kara is excited to continue to build relationships with kiddos and their families in her new role.

Lauren Gaylord is a pediatric nurse practitioner and is certified through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board. Lauren is from Knoxville and received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Carson-Newman College in 2006 and her Master of Science in Nursing from Vanderbilt in 2007. Lauren enjoys cooking, regular walks with friends and watching her three boys play baseball. She is excited to be back serving the children in her hometown!

Catherine is a Family Nurse Practitioner, certified through the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Catherine has been working at UT in the NICU for the last eight years. She has a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from The University of Tennessee Knoxville and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from LMU. She completed close to 200 clinic hours while completing grad school with us at Shults Pediatrics!

Catherine has spent time all over the country since her family is military but has been in the Knoxville area since 2010! She is married to her husband Morgan. Together, they share one son, Wesley, who is almost two and keeps them busy! She loves spending time with her family outside, going for walks and reading!

Clients who have wounds, especially interpersonal ones, find that they feel heard without judgement when working with me. I don't get embarrassed or surprised and I think clients find I am warm, genuine, open-minded and respectful. My experience is heavily focused on trauma, especially interpersonal; anxiety; and parenting challenges. Talking with people in counseling is a gift people share with me and I am honored when I can be a part of someone's "story." With 20 years of clinical experience, I have had many opportunities to help people navigate changes in their lives. I believe in the importance of connectedness. My approach is solution-focused, client-centered, and strengths-based. I have extensive training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT), CBT, & certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Tabitha is our newest Behavioral Health Specialist seeing patients out of our new Blount County location. She is from the Blount County area and graduated from Maryville College where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psycology. Following graduation, she attended The University of Tennessee where she obtained her Master of Science in Social Work. Tabitha joins us from New Hope Children's Advocacy Center in Blount County where she started as a clinical therapist over 20 years ago before transitioning to lead New Hope as the Executive Director for the last 10 years. She's worked alongside Dr. Shults and Dr. Mona throughout her career and is excited to be working alongside them directly. Tabitha and her husband, Steve have been married over 20 years. Together, they have one son who keeps them busy with baseball!

Mandy is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian in the process of completing her Masters in Nutrition. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia and internship practicum work locally in Knoxville. She had worked in Clinical practice for 10 years before taking a break to be home with her three boys. As a Client of Shults Pediatrics for the past 12 years she is thrilled at the opportunity be added to join such a dynamic team of professionals and excited to offer the addition of nutrition counseling to the practice. Hobbies: Reading, hiking, being outdoors and spending time with her family Favorite children’s Author - J.K Rowling, Barbara Park