Blending art and medicine: Katie Yonker, MD, plastic surgeon at Salem Health

For Katie Yonker, MD, “Care with Respect” means listening, showing empathy, and honoring each patient’s choices.

As a plastic surgeon at Salem Health, she combines the science of medicine with the art of surgery to make a real difference — especially for breast cancer patients going through reconstruction.

In this video, Dr. Yonker shares her journey from a high school mission trip — to returning home to care for the Salem community.

Watch now to see how compassion, creativity, and expert care come together at Salem Health.

Learn more: https://salemhealth.org/services/plas...

Video transcript:
"'Care with Respect' really sums up how I want to treat my patients. Giving them a listening ear, empathy, and care while respecting their autonomy and decision-making.

Hi, I'm Katie Yonker. I'm a plastic surgeon at Salem Health.

I ended up in medicine because of my father. He is an orthopedic surgeon. I grew up thinking I never wanted to be a doctor, but had the chance to go on a medical mission trip with him when I was in high school. He told me to come to the OR and thought I would love it. Turns out he was right.

I really love plastic surgery because it is the perfect marriage of the science of medicine and the art of surgery brought together to help patients and impact their lives in a positive way.

One rewarding part of my practice is caring for breast cancer patients and doing their reconstructions. I get to start with them at the beginning of their cancer journey and see them through the reconstruction process, building relationships with them and seeing them to the finish.

I grew up here in Salem, so the community is really meaningful to me. It's been so special to come back and practice here in the place where I grew up.

One thing I really like about being a part of Salem Health is all the resources we have to offer our patients. We have so many services and resources available here for our patients. It makes it easy to take care of people.

When I meet with a new patient, I like to take time and get to know them, find out what's important to them, and take some time to create an individualized care plan that meets their needs."