Bo Hyung (Kathy) Yoon, MD, may have followed in the footsteps of her physician father, but in the process, she journeyed far from her Korean home and lived at opposite ends of the United States before landing at St. Luke’s Gastroenterology – Jim Thorpe.

A gastroenterologist, Dr. Yoon specializes in the digestive tract — the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, gallbladder, bile ducts, pancreas and liver.

She diagnoses and treats common and complex conditions like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), celiac disease, stomach ulcers, diverticulitis and hemorrhoids. She also cares for patients who have cirrhosis, hepatitis, cholecystitis and cancer.

Dr. Yoon’s interest in medicine began when she was a young child. Her father is an endocrinologist in Korea, where she grew up. Endocrinologists treat diabetes and other glandular disorders. She saw firsthand how he made a difference in their lives.

“It was the day-to-day interactions he had with his patients and their families that impressed me,” she said. “I always wanted to be like him. I wanted to help people like my father did, and naturally, I just followed this path.”

Dr. Yoon’s mother, an English teacher, had studied in the United States. It was such a positive experience that she wanted her daughters to study here also. So, Dr. Yoon attended a boarding school in Hawaii, joining her sister who was a year older.

“I went to school on the Big Island,” she said. “It was great.” She joined her high school’s varsity outrigger paddling team. Hawaii’s official state sport, outrigger canoeing teams race in the ocean.

Next, she traveled about 5,000 miles, nearly the breadth of the United States, to attend Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Then she took a break from studying and worked as a research assistant in New York City before enrolling in the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, where she did her internal medicine residency as well. Upon graduation, she completed her three-year fellowship in gastroenterology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

“My interest in GI (gastroenterology) developed during my first year at medical school after meeting my mentor who was researching the hepatitis C virus,” she said. “This led to more clinical rotations in GI patient and hepatology, which I truly enjoyed. Both the medical and procedural aspects of the field attracted me to the specialty.”

Besides seeing patients in the office and the hospital, gastroenterologists, like Dr. Yoon, perform procedures that enable them to see inside the digestive tract and remove any unhealthy growths. These include endoscopy (upper GI tract), enteroscopy (small intestine) and colonoscopy (lower GI tract). During these procedures, she removes polyps, small growths of tissue that over time can develop into colon cancer.

“I worry about younger populations developing gastrointestinal cancers,” Dr. Yoon said. “The percentage of younger patients with GI cancer is increasing. I want to make sure that everyone is aware of their risk and gets colon cancer screening on a timely basis.” Dr. Yoon encourages people to begin colorectal screening beginning at age 45.

In addition, she encourages her patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle by exercising regularly and limiting fatty and salty foods. More specific dietary guidelines to improve GI health depend on the patient’s condition, she added.

“I also want them to be aware that there are GI doctors like me who will listen to them about their condition and help them improve their quality of life,” she said. Often, people are hesitant to discuss GI issues like blood in the stool, constipation or diarrhea because they are embarrassed.

“St. Luke’s Gastroenterology has a wonderful team of people who help patients navigate the health system, she said. “I provide the medical aspect while the team helps put the plan in place. I like to go the extra mile for patients. Even after hours, I’ll check in with my patients to make sure they’re comfortable with the plan.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Yoon is settling into her new role, enjoying interactions with her patients, colleagues and staff and the beautiful scenery.

“It’s a beautiful area,” she said. “So far I love it.”