Katherine D. Kazen, MD, is a board-certified general surgeon with Premier Surgical Lawson Group in Johnson City, Tennessee. She provides surgical care for a wide variety of conditions, including diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, gallbladder disease, hernias, endocrine and thyroid conditions, colorectal conditions and other general surgical needs.
Dr. Kazen specializes in minimally invasive surgery and performs laparoscopic and robotically assisted procedures using the da Vinci robotic surgical system. She joined Premier Surgical Lawson Group in 2026 after completing her general surgery training at East Tennessee State University and gaining international surgical experience through a Global Surgery Fellowship in Zambia.
We recently sat down with Dr. Kazen to learn more about her training, why she enjoys robotic surgery, how her work in Zambia shaped her approach to patient care and what patients can expect when they come to see her.
Q: What types of conditions do you treat as a general surgeon?
Dr. Kazen: I treat diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, endocrine system, breast and thyroid, as well as many other conditions that fall under general surgery.
General surgery covers a broad range of conditions, which is one of the things I enjoy about the specialty. It gives me the opportunity to care for patients with many different surgical needs.
Q: Do you have a particular area of surgical expertise?
Dr. Kazen: I specialize in minimally invasive surgery using the da Vinci robotic surgical system.
One of the things I really like about robotic surgery is that patients often bounce back quickly. They may be able to leave the hospital sooner and generally experience less pain after surgery.
Whenever it is appropriate for the patient and the procedure, minimally invasive surgery can offer some important advantages during recovery.
Q: Where did you complete your medical and surgical training?
Dr. Kazen: I attended medical school at the University of Texas in San Antonio and then completed my general surgery residency at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.
After residency, I completed a Global Surgery Fellowship through East Tennessee State University and worked as a staff surgeon at a rural hospital in Zambia.
That experience had a significant impact on me both professionally and personally.
Q: How did your experience practicing surgery in Zambia influence you as a surgeon?
Dr. Kazen: In Zambia, many patients did not have access to the same screening resources that are available here, so we often saw patients at much later stages of their disease.
That experience made me much more comfortable taking care of patients with advanced disease and understanding what those situations can look like.
Even here in rural Appalachia, we sometimes see patients who present with later-stage cancers. My experience in Zambia helped prepare me to approach those more complex situations and determine how best to care for those patients.
Q: What is most important to you when caring for a patient?
Dr. Kazen: One of the most important things to me is making sure my patients are educated
Dr. Kazen: One of the most important things to me is making sure my patients are educated about their disease and understand what is going to happen every step of the way.
I don’t want patients to feel surprised by what comes next.
I like to communicate with them before surgery, around the time of their procedure and after surgery so they know what to expect throughout the entire process.
That’s especially important for someone who has just received a new cancer diagnosis. There is already a lot to process, so I want my patients to feel comfortable knowing they are being taken care of and that they understand the plan.
Q: Why did you choose to practice in Johnson City?
Dr. Kazen: I completed my surgical training in Johnson City, and during that time I had the opportunity to train with Dr. Robertson and the physicians who would later become my colleagues.
They were such great mentors to me during my residency. When I was offered the opportunity to join their group, I knew it was something I didn’t want to pass up.
The relationships I had developed during my training made it feel like the right place for me to continue practicing.
Q: How would you describe your communication style with patients?
Dr. Kazen: My office is an open door.
I tell my patients that if they need something, they can give us a call. We really value keeping an open line of communication with our patients.
Surgery can be stressful, so I think knowing that you can talk to your care team and ask questions is very important.
Q: What do you enjoy doing outside of surgery?
Dr. Kazen: I spend a lot of time outdoors. I also have three cats, including two that came back with me from Zambia.
Music is another big part of my life. I play guitar and write music, and I really enjoy going to see live music as well. Playing and listening to music are probably some of the things I enjoy doing most when I’m not working.
Meet Dr. Katherine Kazen at Premier Surgical Lawson Group
Dr. Katherine Kazen provides general surgical care at Premier Surgical Lawson Group in Johnson City, Tennessee. Her surgical interests include minimally invasive and robotically assisted surgery, gallbladder surgery, hernia repair, colorectal surgery, foregut surgery, thyroid and endocrine surgery and other general surgical procedures.
Premier Surgical Lawson Group
101 Med Tech Parkway, Suite 405
Johnson City, TN 37604
Phone: (423) 975-5650
To learn more about Dr. Kazen or schedule an appointment, contact Premier Surgical Lawson Group at (423) 975-5650 or schedule online.
Lawson Surgical Group is part of Premier Surgical Associates of East Tennessee.