Dr. Bertelson is board certified in both general surgery and colon and rectal surgery. She has more than 10 years of experience as an attending surgeon. She joined Saint Joseph Hospital in 2021 with a desire to focus on patient-centered care and foster a tertiary referral center for robotic and laparoscopic surgery, complex and reoperative abdominal and pelvic surgery, Crohn's and colitis surgery, management of complex diverticular disease, colon and rectal cancer surgery, and rectal prolapse surgery.  Dr. Bertelson has practiced in the Denver metro area since 2016, and prior to that practiced in Omaha, Nebraska, and Phoenix, Arizona. She has trained residents, fellows and medical students from Creighton University, the University of Nebraska, Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency, and Saint Joseph Hospital. Previously, Dr. Bertelson served Native Americans, Alaska Natives, and veterans as a general surgeon with the Indian Health Service and Veterans Administration in Phoenix, Arizona.Dr. Bertelson grew up in North Pole, Alaska, and received a Bachelor of Arts with high honors from the University of Montana. After attending medical school at the University of Washington, one of the top-ranked medical schools in the U.S., Dr. Bertelson completed her general surgery residency at Rush University Medical Center/Cook County Hospital in Chicago. She completed additional fellowship training in laparoscopic colorectal surgery at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Arizona, as well as subspecialty fellowship training in Colon and Rectal Surgery at the world-renowned Cook County Hospital and the University of Illinois Chicago. During her fellowship, she had the highest score in the nation on the in-training exam, and again the following year on the Colon and Rectal Surgery board examination. Dr. Bertelson has authored scientific publications including journal articles and book chapters. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons.Throughout her career in Colorado, Dr. Bertelson has received referrals from all over the state as well as Montana, Kansas, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Utah. As a graduate of both minimally invasive and colon and rectal fellowships, she brings expertise in these two fields to provide cutting edge care using laparoscopy and robotic surgery for acute care surgery, biliary disease, hernias, colon and rectal cancer, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, colostomy reversal, parastomal hernia, and rectal prolapse. She also specializes in complex reoperative surgery on the gastrointestinal tract, including the colon and rectum. She is deeply interested in advances in the management of cancer and is dedicated to sphincter preservation and the newest surgical and nonsurgical techniques for the management of rectal cancer. Beyond her expertise and experience, Dr. Bertelson takes the most pride in providing high-quality care with great compassion; her greatest accomplishment is not just gaining but keeping the trust of her patients.