Meet Dr. Vandenberg

Board‑certified in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat)—head & neck surgery with additional fellowship training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, Dr. Katherine Vandenberg devotes her practice exclusively to the face, head, and neck—offering a comprehensive approach that harmonizes aesthetics with optimal form and function. She brings the vibrancy of her Miami roots together with the calm confidence of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains to every visit, creating an experience that is both warm and expertly tailored. Born and raised in South Florida’s richly multicultural community, she is fluent in both English and Spanish and effortlessly connects with people from diverse backgrounds. During her combined engineering and medical studies at Florida International University, she discovered that the human face—where structure and beauty meet—was the ideal canvas for her unique blend of precision and creativity.

Staying true to her Dutch surname, which translates to “from the mountain,” Dr. Vandenberg traded palm‑lined streets for Utah’s soaring mountain peaks. An avid hiker, mountain‑biker, and wakeboarder turned snowboarder, she instantly connected with Salt Lake City’s year‑round playground and its community of health‑minded outdoor enthusiasts. Today, she channels that same vibrant energy—with the drive and confidence of an athlete, the precision of an engineer, the creativity of an artist, and the compassionate expertise of a doctor—into her work at 22 Plastic Surgery, helping patients look and feel their best so they can enjoy the active lives they love.

Come meet Dr. Vandenberg—she’d love to get to know you and your aesthetic vision. Consultations with her feel more like engaging conversations—built on genuine connection—than a clinical appointment. From your very first visit to the final follow‑up, she is committed to ensuring that every aspect of your journey is as comfortable, informative, and rewarding as possible. She starts by truly seeing you—studying the unique architecture of your face and listening closely to your hopes and concerns. She is refreshingly honest about which path will best honor your goals, whether that involves a quick, minimally invasive treatment or a transformative surgical procedure. When surgery offers the safest, most lasting result, she approaches it with the meticulous skill of a fellowship‑trained facial plastic surgeon; when a nonsurgical route is more appropriate, she partners seamlessly with the on‑site medical spa at 22 Plastic Surgery to craft treatments that fit your lifestyle. Whatever you choose, her blend of experience, meticulous skill, artistic vision, and genuine recommendations delivers results that look and feel unmistakably you—but younger!

Dr. Vandenberg earned both her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Doctor of Medicine degrees at Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and College of Medicine. She then completed a rigorous five‑year residency and board certification in otolaryngology–head & neck surgery at the University of New Mexico, one of the nation’s busiest programs for head and neck surgical exposure. During this time, she logged case numbers far beyond the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements and gained hands‑on experience across the full spectrum of head and neck pathology and reconstruction. To refine her aesthetic expertise, she completed additional training and fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery through Boston University at The Spiegel Center. Boston University’s program is ACGME accredited and internationally celebrated for its innovation and academic rigor, offering comprehensive exposure to the latest advances in facial rejuvenation. Guided by Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel—an acclaimed authority in facial plastic surgery known for pioneering work in facial feminization—Dr. Vandenberg further honed her surgical precision and artistic vision. Her expertise spans the full spectrum of facial procedures, from facelift surgery, rhinoplasty (nose reshaping), and blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) to otoplasty (ear reshaping) and beyond, allowing her to harmonize appearance and function for every patient.

Dr. Vandenberg is an active clinician‑scientist whose work bridges her engineering background with surgical innovation. She has authored eight peer‑reviewed articles and textbook chapters, covering everything from rhinoplasty outcomes and microtia reconstruction to facial gender‑confirming surgery and is currently preparing data on novel midface classification systems for publication. She has also delivered thirteen invited oral presentations at regional, national, and international scientific meetings—including the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery annual meeting and the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM)—sharing her research on topics such as rhinoplasty outcomes, cleft palate repair, and facial aesthetics. Her research appears in high‑impact journals such as Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America, Advances in Cosmetic Surgery, and the Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal, and she regularly shares her findings at national meetings, including the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM) and the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. This commitment to evidence‑based practice ensures that every treatment she offers is grounded in the latest science and surgical advances.