- EXPERIENCESurgical Technologist
1st Assistant Scrub Tech
Katrina Burkhardt, CN-BA
Katrina Burkhardt, a Certified Breast Navigator, combines her compassion, expertise, and personal experience with family cancer into her role as Breast Patient Navigator at Breastlink Tarzana.
Katrina worked in surgery for 28 years, as a Surgical Technologist, as well as a 1st Assistant Scrub Tech for women undergoing reconstruction surgery following mastectomy from breast cancer. In this capacity, she found it impactful to “help women feel like themselves again.”
In addition to the invaluable professional experience Katrina brings to her role, it is her own experience with cancer that provides her the emotional depth to relate to patients on a personal level. Having watched her mother battle breast cancer and losing her mother-in-law to ovarian cancer, Katrina understands what her patients are going through. She says that in the role of Breast Patient Navigator she wants to be sure that all patients have support through the process of navigating their breast health, saying that she believes “knowledge is power.”
As Breastlink Tarzana’s Breast Patient Navigator, Katrina helps patients throughout the continuum of care, from screening and diagnosis to treatment and recovery. This includes assistance with care coordination, symptom management, education and more, to help them and their loved ones through the breast cancer journey.
In her free time, Katrina enjoys hiking, gardening and weekends with family. She especially loves succulents! She and her husband have been married for 20 years, she has two children, and is looking forward to being a grandmother one day and starting the next chapter of her life.