Boulder County Medical Society

Established 1952

The Purpose of this Society

is to bring into one organization the reputable and legally qualified doctors of medicine of Boulder County, to promote the science and art of medicine, the betterment of public health, and the unity, harmony and welfare of the medical profession.

Community Services Available through the Medical Society

Speaker's Bureau

Served by physicians interested in educational programs for service clubs, civic organizations, church clubs or groups, schools, health care facilities and support groups.  (Advance notice of meetings is needed.)

Physician Referral Service

The BCMS Office at 303-527-3215 offers a free referral service to residents of Boulder County wishing specific services from BCMS member physicians.  We can give additional assistance if your questions are not answered in this site’s physician profile in the Physician Locator.

Professional Review Committee

The BCMS has a Professional Review Committee in both Longmont and Boulder prepared to mediate problems in the physician/patient relationship in an effort to bring harmony and understanding.

Officers of the Boulder County Medical Society

CLARA RAQUEL EPSTEIN, MD -- PRESIDENT 2012 – 2013

Clara Raquel Epstein, MD, FICS, BCMS President 2012-2013, is a Board Certified Neurosurgeon with Subspecialty Fellowship Training in Stroke & Cerebrovascular Disorders, Stereotactic Radiosurgery & Neurosurgical Oncology and Advanced Physician Leadership. Dr. Epstein engages in the full scope of neurosurgical practice. In addition to training in each major subspecialty area of neurosurgery and her experience with the full breadth of the field, Dr. Epstein has also received specialized instruction in interventional neuroradiology, skull base surgical approaches, complex spine interventions and minimally invasive spine and cranial surgery.

Dr. Epstein has experience and has completed specialty training in both complex spine interventions and minimally invasive techniques in surgical approaches to the spine, including treatment of the aging spine, advanced training in surgical and stereotactic radiosurgical treatment of tumors and vascular malformations of the brain and spine, adult spinal deformities, appropriate non-surgical management and neuromodulation.

Dr. Epstein has completed three subspecialty fellowships in Stroke & Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery, Stereotactic Radiosurgery & Neurosurgical Oncology and in Advanced Physician Leadership. She has contributed to novel research and innovative techniques in neurosurgical oncology focusing on gliomas.

Dr. Epstein is well respected amongst her peers, and has been an invited national and international faculty and guest speaker, taught numerous hands-on neurosurgical workshops and published and presented peer-reviewed papers. Dr. Epstein is honored to be one of the neurosurgical leaders & pioneers. She is currently the Chair of Neurosurgery for the International College of Surgeons and holds several other leadership positions in organized medicine locally, nationally and internationally. In addition to the respect she commands in neurosurgery, she is also a recognized expert in the field of health policy, health care professionalism and has been consulted on issues ranging from medical informatics, international neurosurgery, health care disparities, to health care reform implementing technological solutions.

Dr. Epstein’s research interests include neurorobotic applications to neurosurgery, brain & spine tumors, and glioma research. Dr. Epstein is also actively involved in National & International Organized Medicine and in Development of Novel Technologies as Applied to Neurosurgery including Neurorobotics, Minimally Invasive Spine and Cranial Applications, Neuroendoscopy, Stereotaxis & Neuro-imaging, and Neuroinformatics. Dr. Epstein is highly regarded for her neurosurgical expertise in the treatment of neurosurgical oncology and implementation of minimally invasive spine and cranial techniques.

JENNIFER CHRISTENSEN, MD -- IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Jennifer is a board certified internist at the Boulder Medical Center.  Her primary interests include preventive medicine, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and women’s health care. She graduated from The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed her residency at The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center.

After residency, she worked in a private practice affiliated with Rose Medical Center and served as a clinical educator for the University of Colorado for five years before moving to Boulder, CO. She is a past recipient of the runner up award for the Colorado Daily’s CU and Boulder’s best physician. Recently, her practice has been selected as one of 500 in the nation to participate
in the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative to develop quality, cost effective medical care strategies. She is past president of the Boulder County Medical Society and serves on the Council Of Legislation. She and her husband David Giarracco have three children, Ava, Emma and Alexander. They are  actively involved with their children’s many activities. She enjoys swimming, hiking, skiing and a variety of outdoor activities.

MEL STJERNHOLM, MD -- TREASURER

Dr. Stjernholm is an endocrinologist in private practice with primary interests in diabetes, thyroid disorders, and osteoporosis. He graduated with a chemistry major from Goshen College in Indiana, and spent two years as a general medical officer in the Public Health Service on the Navajo Reservation. He completed his residency in internal medicine and fellowship in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at U. of Colorado. He has practiced endocrinology in Boulder County since completing his fellowship. He is Past-President of the Boulder County Medical Society and has served on the Board of Colorado Medical Society. He and
his wife Carolyn have three children and 8 grandchildren. He enjoys skiing, hiking, tennis and photography.

Staff of Boulder County Medical Society

JUDY LADD, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Judy Ladd has been the Executive Director of BCMS since 1993, coming from a background in medical and dental office management and financial marketing.  She considers it a privilege working with physicians and their staff in Boulder County and strives to make BCMS an organization that advocates for physicians of every specialty and working in various practice settings. Through direction by the Executive Committee, BCMS serves as a communications hub to disseminate local, state and national medical information and to bring physicians together to discuss the changing health care landscape in our area.

ANITA ALBRECHT, WEBSITE CONTENT MANAGER

Anita became part of the team at BCMS in 2006 to assist Judy, the Executive Committee and the membership with implementation of the projects and initiatives. Her duties range from communication with membership, designing & graphics to coordination of special mailings and event planning. Anita’s background is in marketing and development and she previously worked for the Colorado Medical Society as Director of the CMS Foundation.  Recently, Anita has been assigned to be the BCMS website content manager.