New general surgeon joins Glacier Surgical Associates in Palmer

PALMER — Dr. Heather Zeznock has joined the medical staff of Mat-Su Regional Medical Center and will be working with Dr. Shannon Gulley as a general surgeon with Glacier Surgical Associates in Palmer.

A born-and-raised Alaskan from Anchorage, Zeznock has early memories of following her nurse practitioner mother around the hospital while she cared for patients. As a 5-year-old, she would sit and hold patient’s hands while her mom worked. From that early age, she already knew she was going to be a doctor.

Zeznock completed her undergraduate education in Biological Sciences at the University of Alaska – Anchorage, and graduated from medical school at Pacific Northwest University, in Yakima, Washington. She finished her residency in June earlier this year at Franciscan St. James Health in Olympia Fields, Illinois and immediately began to make plans to move back home for work.

“The dream has always been to come back [to Alaska]. I didn’t even want to leave, but I had to for surgery residency,” she said.

In the time that she has spent with patients out of the state of Alaska, Zeznock has found that her unique Alaskan background was a benefit in helping her connect and gain the trust of those she cares for.

“The Alaska attitude helps. People from Alaska are just more open, upfront and genuine, and patients really appreciate that. When you can just tell them the facts and tell them what you would recommend for your loved ones,” she said.

Zeznock treats what is referred to as the bread and butter of general surgery: appendix, gallbladder, hernias, colon cancer and breast cancer. She is also proficient in minimally-invasive procedures and robotic surgeries.

Outside of work as a general surgeon, Zeznock enjoys paddle boarding, baking and cooking, hiking, going to spin classes, yoga, hunting and fishing. She is currently working on her Scuba certification to pursue her dream of diving with sharks.

She looks forward to practicing with Glacier Surgical Associates and making her home in the Mat-Su Valley.

“I’m really excited about becoming part of the community here. Mat-Su is really growing and I’m excited to grow with it,” she said.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center is a 125-bed healthcare facility providing advanced surgical service, including robotic-assisted partial and total knee and total hip replacement, cardiac care, emergency services, diagnostic imaging, sleep studies, inpatient behavioral health, advanced wound care, three urgent care centers, the Family Birthing Center and is home to the 30-Minutes-or-Less ER Service Pledge.

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center was recently honored with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get with the Guidelines — Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award and is accredited as a Chest Pain Center by the American College of Cardiology, as an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital by The Joint Commission. In 2019, Mat-Su Regional received the Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association’s patient safety award, “High Reliability: Persevering in the Pursuit of Zero Patient Harm.”

To learn more about Mat-Su Regional, go to MatSuRegional.com.