Meet Our Doctors

Ellen Miller, DVM, MS, Diplomate,
American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine

Ellen received her veterinary degree from the University of Illinois in 1982. She completed both and internship in small animal medicine and surgery and a residency in small animal internal medicine at the University of Minnesota and became board certified in internal medicine in 1985. Ellen served on the Colorado State University faculty for ten years, where she was a tenured associate professor. After leaving the university, she started a private internal medicine practice in Fort Collins. This practice filled a niche for clients wanting consistent, efficient, personalized care for their pets. Ellen's veterinary interests include immune-mediated diseases and transfusion medicine.

On the personal side, Ellen enjoys gardening and hiking. She respects the earth and strives to minimize her impact on the environment. Ellen's 100 year old home is slowly being transformed into a cozy retreat. She has two cockers, Eddie and Ziggy, and a cat, Chapstick. Ziggy was found in the street with multiple injuries from an encounter with a car. No one claimed him. He must have been in intense pain, but his big brown eyes and wagging tail saved him. His injuries repaired, he is once again enjoying life as a whole dog. Eddie spent an undetermined length of time living off the streets of Greeley. He prefers a large personal space unlike most cockers and has not lost his incessant drive for food even though his meals come regularly.

Ellen recently adopted a 9 year old female diabetic Lab named Murdoc.

Lauren Prause, DVM, MS, Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine

Lauren is originally from Ohio and attended veterinary school at Ohio State University. After graduation, she completed her internship in small animal medicine and surgery at The Animal Medical Center in New York City. In 1994 she moved to Colorado to quench her thirst for further knowledge by doing a residency in internal medicine and completing a masters degree in clinical sciences (CSU). Colorado offered a welcome opportunity to be closer to the outdoor recreation that she enjoys. Since then she has worked at CSU's Veterinary Teaching Hospital as an assistant professor in a special faculty appointment and as a staff internist at Alameda East Veterinary Hospital in Denver. Lauren's special areas of interest and research are nephrology/urology and gastroenterology. She and Ellen started Peak Veterinary Internists in 2004, and she has relished working in a smaller practice environment as it allows her the chance to form closer bonds with her patients and their families. She also enjoys the challenge of trying to reduce the environmental footprint of the medical practice, as she believes strongly in doing what she can for the earth as well as its critters!

At home, Lauren and her husband Stewart have six "kids." The mix includes two human daughters, Sage and Logan, who do their best to make life unpredictable for Scooter and Jester, the cats. Champ, a "pure-bred Mayan street dog" takes everything in stride, but is still figuring out how to stay out of the way of the stroller on daily walks. Fremont, found under a cottonwood tree of the same name, is devoted to Stewart and wishes she was still an only child. On occasion, Stewart's career as a wildlife biologist brings other unexpected creatures into their home, and has allowed Lauren to expand her patient repertoire to include beaver, bears, and mice. When Lauren finds free time, she loves to hike, run, sail, camp, read, garden and do yoga.

Jennifer E. Lowry, DVM, MS, Diplomate,
American College of Veterinary Radiology

After obtaining her DVM from the University of California, Davis, and finishing a private practice internship in Santa Cruz, California, Jen moved to Colorado State University. She finished her residency and became a board-certified radiologist in 1991. After spending time as part of the radiology faculties at UC Davis and the University of Illinois, she returned to Colorado in 1994 to establish Mountain Veterinary Imaging. She considers herself very blessed to make Colorado her home, to be busy professionally with something she loves, and to have a wonderful husband and 3 young children!

Sandra L. Van Camp, DVM, Diplomate,
American College of Veterinary Radiology

Sandy is a 1995 graduate of the University of Missouri, College of Veterinary Medicine. After working as an associate in a small animal practice in New Jersey for a year, she moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, and completed a residency in radiology at North Carolina State University. In 1999, Sandy, her husband, and two sons moved to Colorado and Sandy joined Mountain Veterinary Imaging. With the addition of Sandy's skills and enthusiasm, MVI has continued to grow and to provide the best in patient care and service.

Clarence Sitzman, DVM, Diplomate American Veterinary Dental College

Clarence grew up on a dairy farm with his family near Greeley, Colorado. He graduated from Colorado State University in 1972 with a B.S. in Animal Science, and in 1975 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. He also completed an internship in animal reproduction at Colorado State University. After graduation Clarence married his college sweetheart, Phylis. He started his own veterinary practice in Fort Collins in 1976. Clarence acquired a professional interest in veterinary dentistry about 10 years ago, and has pursued advanced training in dentistry since that time. In February of 2007 he received his diplomate status from the American Veterinary Dental College. Clarence is an active member of the American Veterinary Dental Society, and was fortunate enough to serve as president of that organization in 2004 and 2005. Clarence joined the team at Peak Veterinary Specialists as a board certified veterinary dentist in March 2009.

Some of Clarence’s interests include music, gardening, racquetball and rugby, and watching the Denver Broncos. He is an active member of Timnath Presbyterian Church, where he sings in the church choir, and helps teach some adult classes. Clarence and Phylis have three children, Ryan, Diana and Paul.

Brian Van Vechten, DVM

Brian was raised in east San Diego County. An early interest in animal care led to involvement in 4-H and FFA where he showed dogs, cattle, and sheep.

Dr. Van Vechten attended the University of California at Davis majoring in Zoology. He was accepted into U. C. Davis Veterinary School and attained a doctor of veterinary medicine degree in 1982.

Following graduation from veterinary school Dr. Van Vechten owned and operated Valhalla Veterinary Clinic in El Cajon, California. In 1989 after 7 years in general practice Dr. Van Vechten sold Valhalla Veterinary Clinic to pursue a longtime interest in veterinary surgery. He was accepted into a small animal surgery residency program at the University of California at Davis where he obtained training in soft tissue surgery, orthopedic surgery, and microvascular surgery. Study projects included growth plate deformities and the resulting alignment problems and evaluation of porto-systemic shunts. Dr. Van Vechten completed his residency in 1992 and was voted resident teacher of the year by the graduating class. He then did extensive traveling and lecturing in Europe, Africa, and Asia. In 1994 Dr. Van Vechten moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to pursue a fellowship in surgical oncology at Colorado State University Comparative Oncology Unit. This training included limb sparing surgery for bone cancer, soft tissue tumor resections, and surgical options for vertebral tumors.

Dr. Van Vechten moved to Denver following the completion of his fellowship in 1995. He has a broad background and interest in soft tissue surgery, orthopedic surgery, oncologic surgery, and reconstructive surgery. He is a member of the Veterinary Society of Surgical Oncology. Dr. Van Vechten is now a partner at Veterinary Surgical Services (VSS) which operates out of Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado (VRCC). Dr. Van Vechten and VSS have now joined the team at Peak Veterinary Specialists.

Outside of work, Dr. Van Vechten and his wife Liz enjoy spending time with their three children: Alexandria, Jacob, and Nicholas. Their German shepherd Rhea is an integral part of the home. Two cats Bobo and Bingo provide plenty of entertainment. Dr. Van Vechten is an avid golfer and frequently combines golf with his passion for travel. The proximity of the Colorado mountains allows the family opportunity for weekend trips of hiking and skiing.

Chad M. Devitt, DVM, MS, Diplomate American College of Veterinary Surgery

Chad attended Iowa State University for his undergraduate education. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree with honors in 1992 from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine. After graduation, Dr. Devitt completed an internship at the Animal Medical Center in New York City where he received the President's award for Intern of the Year. From New York City, Dr. Devitt traveled to Fort Collins and completed a three-year small animal surgical residency at Colorado State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital. During Dr. Devitt's residency, he developed many of his professional interests including reconstructive surgery, minimally invasive surgery and surgical oncology. While a resident at CSU, Dr. Devitt completed a Masters Degree in Veterinary Clinical Sciences (Surgery). Following his surgical residency, Dr. Devitt became a Surgical Oncology Fellow at the Animal Tumor Center at Colorado State University where he received additional training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in small animal patients. He performed surgeries such as limb salvage in dogs with osteosarcoma, radical maxillofacial surgery, and brain tumor resections. In February of 1997 Dr. Devitt became board certified in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. He joined Veterinary Surgical Service in October of 1999, which operates out of Veterinary Referral Center of Colorado (VRCC) and is currently co-owner with Dr. Van Vechten. When away from the hospital, Dr. Devitt enjoys the Colorado outdoors with cycling, whitewater kayaking, and backcountry skiing.

Tara Britt, VMD, Diplomate American College of Veterinary Surgery

Tara is a native of Pennsylvania and attended Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina where she obtained a bachelors degree in biology and marine science. Dr. Britt returned to Pennsylvania for her veterinary training and received her VMD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2002. Prior to graduation, she participated in a summer externship in marine mammal rehabilitation at Sea World in San Diego and attended a summer veterinary course in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. After graduation from veterinary school, she completed a small animal internship at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in New Jersey and discovered her passion for surgery.

Following the internship, Dr. Britt stayed at RBVH for her surgical residency. In 2006, she moved to Fort Collins, Colorado to complete the surgical oncology fellowship at Colorado State University where she performed limb sparing surgeries, chest wall reconstructions, subcutaneous mass removals and maxillofacial resections. This was Dr. Britt’s first extended time away from the east coast and she fell in love with the west. After spending one year in Arizona at Southwest Veterinary Surgical Services, she joined Veterinary Surgical Services in Colorado. Dr. Britt is currently a board certified surgeon with Veterinary Surgical Services at VRCC. Outside of work, Dr. Britt and her husband Paul have one dog Murphy, a happy-go-lucky mutt, and a cat, Lily, a New Jersey stray. They enjoy downhill skiing and traveling with Paul’s daughter Haley. Dr. Britt also enjoys gardening, yoga and mountain biking.