About Dr. Bethke

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Specialty
  • Breast Surgery
Undergraduate Education
  • St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN
  • Oxford University, England, Biomedical Ethics
Medical Education
  • Univ. of Minnesota Medical School, Mpls, 1983
Surgery Residency
  • Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, 1989
Surgical Oncology Fellowship
  • Medical College of Virginia, 1991
Academic Appointments
  • Associate Clinical Director, Lynn Sage Breast Center
  • Director of Regional Surgical Breast Cancer Care for Northwestern Medicine
  • Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery
  • Northwestern Univ. Feinberg School of Medicine
Board Certification
  • Surgery, since 1990
Affiliations
  • Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery:
  • Northwestern Univ. Feinberg School of Medicine
  • Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Awards
  • "Top Doctors: Chicago" Castle Connolly Guide
  • "People's Choice" Award
  • "Best Doctor's Most Compassionate Doctor Award" 2012-2015
  • Named to Northwestern Department of Surgery Teaching Hall of Fame, 2005
  • Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Annual Outstanding Teaching Award, 2003-2015
Professional Organizations
  • Fellow of the American College of Surgeons
  • Society of Surgical Oncology
  • American Society of Breast Surgeons
  • Chicago Surgical Society
  • Past President Downtown Chicago Board of the American Cancer Society
  • Northwestern Medical Staff, Secretary/Treasurer
  • St Olaf College, Board of Regents, Executive Committee        

 
Picture
HOBBIES

  • Triathlons: (I’ve completed 15)

  • Adventure Travel: Each year I take off for some far corner of the world. I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro, been on safari in the Serengeti, Botswana and Namibia, trekked in Tibet and Bhutan, biked Northern Thailand and also from Hanoi to Saigon, tracked mountain gorillas in Rwanda and Uganda, sea-kayaked in Papua New Guinea, white-water rafted in southern Chili’s Patagonia region on the Futaleufu river and more. I love to explore new areas and cultures and I take thousands of photos.

  • Photography: You can view some of my adventure travel photos on my Flickr webpage: www.flickr.com/photos/kbethke/sets/
WORTHY BREAST CANCER CHARITIES

Many of my patients and their families wish to give to a breast cancer charity. There are many worthy breast cancer charities and among them are two with which I am directly involved:

The Breast Cancer Fund (BCF): www.breastcancerfund.org
Based in San Francisco, the Breast Cancer Fund is the leading national organization working to identify and eliminate the environmental causes of breast cancer. I have visited them and found them to be a very dedicated, enthusiastic and spirited group.

Lynn Sage Foundation: www.lynnsage.org
Established in 1985, the Lynn Sage Foundation has raised over $25 million and has been instrumental in the development of the Northwestern Lynn Sage Breast Comprehensive Program. They are an extremely dedicated group whose mission is to support breast cancer training fellowships and the understanding, research and treatment of breast cancer in partnership with Chicago’s Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.