When growing up, Elizabeth Helgans PA-C realized she had a knack for medicine while caring for her animals, mainly her pet cats. She learned to clean and dress their wounds and occasionally lanced abscesses in her family’s modified “vet clinic” aka their kitchen table.

Elizabeth is genuinely interested in her patients: “I love learning about my patients,” she says. “Not just about their particular ailment, but also about what makes them unique and what they like doing in their free time. I feel that if I get to know the patient, I can better help them.”

Her philosophy of care is to educate her patients, which she feels can be very reassuring for those who are facing medical procedures. “There is a lot of fear regarding visiting the gastroenterologist or having a colonoscopy,” she explains. “I like to help calm those fears and believe that the best way to do this is through education.”

With a personal history of colon cancer and Celiac disease, Elizabeth empathizes with those who have fears around their diagnosis or treatment. “My history with these diseases has instilled a desire to empower people by encouraging a healthy lifestyle and dietary changes,” she explains.

Elizabeth is a cowgirl at heart and doesn’t pass up an opportunity to jump on her horse and find some cattle to herd. She also enjoys skiing and camping with her family and taking care of dogs, cats, and horses at her family farm north of Boulder.

Elizabeth Helgans treats a range of Gastroenterology (GI) problems including:

• Liver disease, infectious and autoimmune hepatitis, cirrhosis of the liver
• Esophageal disorders
• Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
• Gastritis, stomach ulcers
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Inflammatory bowel diseases and conditions such as: Crohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, microscopic colitis, and hemorrhoids.

• Graduate School — Denison University
  Economics and Communications
  Granville, OH
  1991

• Undergraduate — St John's University
  BS - Physician Assistant
  Jamaica-Queens, NY
  1998

American Academy of Physician Assistants
National Commission of the Certification of Physician Assistants
Colorado Association of Physician Assistants