Rachel Mazza, PA-C

Rachel Mazza works at ValleyOrtho as a Certified Physician Assistant. She graduated with her Master of Physician Assistant Studies from the University of Colorado in 2015, after which she worked at the Orthopedic Centers of Colorado and the UCHealth Steadman Hawkins Clinic practicing in sports medicine, joint replacement, and treating orthopedic trauma.

She attended UC on the school’s Rural Track, where she focused on treating and servicing smaller, more geographically isolated communities like the Roaring Fork Valley. “In rural communities, you might be the only game in town,” she says, “so we focus on a very well-rounded view of medical practice.”

“There are also a lot of situations you face in rural areas that just don’t happen in the city—you don’t remove too many fishhooks from people’s hands in Denver,” she continues with a chuckle. “So we also focus on wilderness medicine a lot, and using available materials to treat injuries.”

Mazza has deep family connections to the Roaring Fork Valley—her parents met in Glenwood Springs and moved back there in 2014. “I fell into the Denver thing right after school, but when I got the opportunity to move back, I took it. This is a great place to live, and I love treating the people here.”

“In orthopedics, our focus is to keep people active,” she says. “As a very active person myself, I try to impart that love of the outdoors and exercise into my patients. I love educating people about their bodies and their diagnoses, providing them the information they need to get back on track after an injury.”

In her spare time, Rachel enjoys reading and spends a lot of time with her dog. “He’s a big rescue mutt, my second rescue dog. I’m pretty passionate about that.”  She also enjoys hiking, backpacking, and camping, and has climbed a few fourteeners around Colorado. “I enjoy the backcountry, but I also like frontcountry camping closer to civilization,” she says. “As long as I’m outside, I’m happy.”