Background
Dr. Kevin Bethke is an Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery at
the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  He is also the Associate Director of the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center and a past Chief of Staff for Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

He received his undergraduate degree at St. Olaf College in
Minnesota followed by a year at England's Oxford University studying Biomedical Ethics and then Medical School at the University of Minnesota.  His General Surgery training was at the University of Wisconsin and Surgical Oncology Fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia.  

Specialty and Interests
Dr. Bethke's practice is limited to breast surgery with a focus on breast cancer.  Although providing excellent patient care is his first priority, he also enjoys his role as a teacher and mentor for which he's received numerous teaching awards.  He is an enthusiastic supporter of research performed at the Lynn Sage Breast Center and actively enrolls patients into appropriate research studies.
Contributions to the Medical Field
Dr. Bethke has published on a variety of breast disease topics and is a member of many medical societies including the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology and he is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.  He has been active in many cancer organizations including the American Cancer Society where he has served as past President of the Downtown Chicago Board.

Approach to Care
Dr. Bethke believes in empowering patients by providing them with organized, pertinent information through consultation discussions, email access and this website which provides clinic forms, step-by-step guides, worksheets, web links and videos.  His hope is that patients will feel comfortable asking any and all questions.  As a surgeon, Dr. Bethke strives to not only perform the best cancer operation possible but also to assure the best cosmetic result.
Northwestern Surgery Covid-19 Update​,  November 2020
As we monitor the current Covid-19 surge, special preparations and precautions have been instituted.  Clinic and surgery schedules are constantly being monitored.  We continued to see patients in the clinic and perform necessary cancer surgery during the peak last spring and so far plan on doing so during the current surge.  Telehealth is always available and although it would not lead to definitive treatment plans without a personal visit it does keep the evaluation process moving along during the surge until we can see you in person.

For more information about your visit to Northwestern Memorial Hospital and our patient safety precautions during Covid-19 please click on the button below.
​Northwestern Breast Cancer Second Opinion
Click on the button below for information on obtaining a​second opinion at Northwestern.  If after calling our New Patient Coordinators at (312) 695-0990 you have difficulty obtaining a timely appointment for a newly diagnosed breast cancer, please contact me directly at kbethke@nm.org.
I will try ​to arrange an earlier appointment.
Dr. Bethke's Breast Cancer Manual
Click the button below to review and print my Manual (pdf file) for newly diagnosed  breast cancer patients.  It is a concise but comprehensive step-by-step guide to the evaluation, treatment  and follow-up of your breast cancer.

Dr. Bethke's Northwestern Medicine Profile

Click on button to read Dr. Bethke's Northwestern Medicine profile and >200 reviews.  
About the Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center

The Lynn Sage Breast Center is an internationally acclaimed comprehensive breast program located in Northwestern’s Prentice Women’s Hospital in downtown Chicago.  It has the largest breast cancer program in Illinois and one of the largest in the United States.  It consists of a multidisciplinary team of physicians including surgical, medical and radiation oncologists, breast radiologists, breast pathologists, breast reconstructive surgeons, navigators, oncofertility specialists, geneticists and many others, all dedicated to the care of patients with a breast problem.  Many members of this team are national and international leaders in breast cancer treatment.

​The Lynn Sage is part of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a nationally ranked academic medical center and the primary teaching hospital of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.  It routinely ranks very high in multiple national survey’s including the U.S. News and World Report America’s Best Hospital list where it currently ranks #10 in the entire United States and # 1 in Chicago and Illinois.