Kay Yoon-Flannery, DO, MPH, FACS, FACOS
Departments
- MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper
- Breast Cancer Center
- Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Program
- Dense Breast Clinic
- Rare Cancers Program
- Surgery
- Surgical Oncology
- Women's Cancer Program
- Cancer Care During Pregnancy
- Center for LGBTQ+ Health
- The Ripa Center for Women's Health and Wellness
- Ripa Center Haddonfield
Cooper University Health Care Titles
- Co-Director, Janet Knowles Breast Cancer Center
- Breast Surgeon
- Director of Quality and Process Improvement
- Director of Physician Engagement
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University Titles
- Assistant Professor of Surgery
Board Certifications
- American Osteopathic Board of General Surgery
Specialty Certifications
Breast Ultrasound
Hidden Scar Breast Cancer Surgery
Other Languages
Korean
Professional Type
Cooper University Physician
NPI
1871889386
About Me
What inspired you to become a cancer specialist?
As a young resident I had a patient who came in with a fungating breast cancer. Fungating cancers are when cancers break through the skin, creating a wound that can become infected and ulcerated. They generally develop when a patient ignores signs and symptoms (like a lump in the breast) and the cancer goes untreated for many months or years.
My patient’s wound was so severely infected that she was hospitalized. When I spoke with her she revealed to me that she was actually a retired nurse who had been estranged from her only daughter for many years and that she neglected to seek care because she did not want her first phone call to her daughter to be about a cancer diagnosis. That night I promised myself that I would be a breast surgeon and do everything I could so that patients do not get to an advanced stage like her.
What is your essential patient care philosophy?
Take care of patients as you would want your mother to be cared for. I always take my time to explain things to my patients and their family members because that’s how I would want my mother to be treated.
What do you hope your patients say about you to their family and friends?
That they feel confident having me not only as their surgeon, but as a partner in their cancer journey. That I explained things so they could understand and be an active participant in their own care.
What three words best describe you?
Passionate, decisive, and outspoken.
Office Locations
MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper - Camden
Two Cooper Plaza
Camden
, NJ 08103
Phone: 855.MDA.COOPER (855.632.2667)
Maps
& Directions
Cooper Surgical Care at Sewell
2 Plaza Drive
Suite 202
Sewell
, NJ 08080
Phone: 855.632.2667
Maps
& Directions
The Ripa Center Haddonfield
100 Grove Street
Haddonfield
, NJ 08033
Phone: 856.325.6601
Maps
& Directions
Education & Training
| Medical School | University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Stratford, NJ |
|---|---|
| Graduate School | MPH - University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ |
| Internship | University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Stratford, NJ |
| Residency | General Surgery - Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, NJ |
| Fellowship | Breast Surgical Oncology - University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA |
Memberships
- Philadelphia Academy of Surgeons
- Association of Women Surgeons
- Society of Surgical Oncology
- American Society of Breast Surgeons
- American College of Surgeons
- American College of Osteopathic Surgeons
Awards and Honors
- SJ Magazine "Top Docs" - Breast Surgery - 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023
- Best Breast Cancer Surgeon, Suburban Magazine - 2017
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons - 2019
- Fellow, American College of Osteopathic Surgeons - 2018
- Chief Resident Award, Department of Surgery, Rowan-SOM - 2016
- David Silverman Award, Department of Surgery, UMDNJ-SOM - 2011
- Student Award for Excellence in Osteopathic Medicine, New Jersey Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons - 2011
- Alumni Association Scholarship Award, UMDNJ-SOM - 2009, 2010
- Graduate Merit Award, Executive Women of New Jersey - 2010
- Outstanding Service Award, Department of Surgery, UMDNJ-SOM - 2009
- Educational Scholarship, Student Osteopathic Surgical Association - 2009
- Translating Osteopathic Understanding into Community Health (TOUCH), Council of Osteopathic Student Government Presidents - 2008
- SJ Magazine "Top Female Docs" - 2023, 2024
Publications
Yoon-Flannery K, Fisher CS, Neff MA. A Surgeon’s Path: What to Expect after a General Surgery Residency. Springer. July 2018.
Yoon-Flannery K, DeStefano LM, De La Cruz LM, Fisher CS, Lin LY, Coffua LS, Mustafa RE, Sataloff DM, Tchou JC, Brooks AD. Quality of Life and Sexual Well-Being after Nipple Sparing Mastectomy: A Matched Comparison of Patients Using the Breast Q. Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2018 Jul;118(1):238-242.
Yoon-Flannery K, Blankenship SA, Fisher CS, Mustafa RE, Nocera N, Tchou J, Czerniecki BJ, De La Cruz L. A Systematic Review of the Surgical and Ablative Management of Breast Cancer Liver Metastasis. Advances in Breast Cancer and Therapy. Volume 2018. Issue 01.
Mustafa RE, DeStefano LM, Bahng J, Yoon-Flannery K, Fisher CS, Zhang PJ, Tchou J, Czerniecki BJ, De La Cruz LM. Evaluating the Upstaging Risk of Her2 Positive DCIS to Invasive Breast Cancer. Annals of Surgical Oncology. 2017 Aug; 24(10):2999-3003.
Grants and Research
- Susan G. Komen South and Central Jersey, Korean, African American and Latinas of New Jersey Project (KAAL-NJ) - 2018 to present