Dr. Richard Devon Paxton, MD

Dr. Paxton greatly enjoys his work as a pediatrician and can’t imagine doing anything else as a profession. He finds the personal interaction with children and their parents very rewarding and is constantly trying to find new ways to deliver the best possible care. His professors and mentors at Primary Children’s Hospital voted him as the resident to whom they would take their own children (The Pediatric Practice Award) in 2002. He then joined two other recipients of that award, Dr.’s Bennett and Valdez, and the other physicians of Canyon View Medical Group later that summer.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Paxton has always been a Cardinals fan and enjoyed playing baseball throughout his childhood and adolescence, growing up in the Holladay area of Salt Lake. He then spent two years as an LDS missionary in Brazil before starting his studies at the University of Utah. He married Natalie Paxton (yes, same last name, no, not cousins) just after completion of his freshman year, …and together they completed the rest of his education and training, adding five sons to the family, now ranging in age from 5 to 16 years old. He graduated magna cum laude in 1995 with a degree in Exercise Physiology and then completed medical school in 1999, also at the U, before staying on for the three years of residency training at Primary Children’s.
In his free time, Dr. Paxton enjoys many outdoor activities, including hiking, fishing, backpacking, and camping. He also stays active through running, biking, playing tennis and softball, and being a scout leader, which he has done for several years. He loves spending time with his wife and children most of all.
Dr. Paxton feels that family is of utmost importance, and this is evident in the way he practices medicine. He loves establishing a relationship with entire families and treating children using a family-centered approach. He is adept at addressing the full spectrum of pediatric concerns, from acute illness and injury to chronic disease and behavioral issues. Preventive medicine and well child care is of particular interest to him, with the knowledge that prevention is often the best medicine.
Despite being from the county to the north, Dr. Paxton and his family feel lucky to be able to call Spanish Fork home, and anticipate many more enjoyable years to come in this area. Two of his sons are now BYU fans! He has even found himself rooting for the Y throughout the football season, except for one game.