McLellan named chief of staff at Estes Park Health

ESTES PARK — Dr. Jennifer McLellan has taken the reins as medical chief of staff at Estes Park Health, the medical center serving the Estes Valley.

McLellan, the third woman to hold the leadership position at EPH, assumed her new duties Jan. 1, succeeding Dr. Bridget Dunn, who served in the role in 2023 and 2024. Dr. Robyn Zehr was chief of staff before Dunn.

“I am essentially the lead physician for all the physicians who are medical staff members of Estes Park Health.” McLellan said in a prepared statement. “I will be a liaison between the medical staff members and the administration as well as the Park Hospital District Board.

“We do have a lot of women on our medical staff at Estes Park Health,” she said. “I am excited to have more representation of women at all levels of leadership at our hospital. I think it’s important. Of course, all the men who have served as medical chief of staff before us have done a fantastic job, but I think it’s great to have more representation by some women as well.”

McLellan has worked at Estes Park Health since 2019, first through a rural physicians’ group, then becoming a general surgeon at EPH in October 2020.

She will continue performing surgeries and seeing patients in the clinic while running medical staff meetings and medical executive meetings. She will also meet regularly with the hospital’s CEO and present quarterly to the Park Hospital District Board.

McLellan said she is excited to take on this position because she has always been interested in leadership and administration.

“I’m excited for the challenge,” she said. “I feel like I’m in a good position to be able to work with the medical staff and the administration. I try to get along with people and I feel like I’m approachable. People can come to me when they have issues. I can help bring issues from the medical staff to the administration as well as to the board and vice versa.”

McLellan is working toward a master’s degree in business administration, “but I also love being a general surgeon,” she said. “I love taking care of patients. I don’t really want to give that up right now.”

McLellan and her partner, Dr. Christine Bogardus, offer general surgeries including hernia repairs, gall bladder procedures, appendectomies and surgery on the small and large intestine. They also perform colonoscopies and upper endoscopies, as well as multiple procedures in the clinic for conditions such as lumps, bumps, abscesses and hemorrhoid issues.

McLellan is a member of the University of Colorado Medical Alumni Association and the Estes Park High School Health Science Advisory Committee.

She said she is excited that EPH has a pending partnership with UCHealth, which was announced in October.

“The transition to becoming part of UCHealth is exciting and it’s a little bit daunting.” she said. “There are a lot of unknowns right now. My tenure as chief of staff is going to be unique in that way. I will be part of the leadership dealing with UCHealth and helping them understand the issues and concerns our medical staff have.”

She said UCHealth will be investing in the physical plant and equipment, but also encouraging and helping staff with education and advancing what types of patients Estes Park Health can take care of in its hospital.

“We’ll be able to tap into their intellectual capital,” McLellan said. “It will be wonderful to be able to utilize all their expertise. I think it is going to be beneficial for our hospital and our community.”

She earned a bachelor’s degree in biology with a concentration on anatomy at Colorado State University.

“I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do surgery or family medicine,” she said. “I got into medical school at the University of Colorado. During our rotations, I found out I really liked laparoscopic surgery and general surgery.”

She completed a five-year residency in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a one-year fellowship in minimally invasive surgery in Springfield, Massachusetts. She then worked in a small hospital in Wisconsin for six years before deciding to return to Colorado.

“I was so happy and elated when I found out that they were hiring at Estes Park Health,” she said. “I was able to become a surgeon here. It has been a dream come true. I hope that I can continue a really long career here.”

McLellan is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Colorado Medical Society, the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy.

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