Ambassadors of Excellence: Katie Lasater

For Veterans receiving care in the Gastroenterology Department, Nurse Practitioner Katie Lasater brings that partnership to life every day through collaboration, compassion and clinical excellence.

Katie believes health care works best when it is built on mutual decision-making. “What I strive the most for is for the Veteran and I to be making mutual decisions about their care together,” she said. “I like us to look at the evidence and the data I can bring to the table, while also understanding they have their own health care goals.”

For Katie, quality care is not simply about diagnosing and prescribing. It is about aligning treatment plans with what matters most to each Veteran. Whether that means pursuing more aggressive treatment, reducing medications, or maintaining current quality of life, she ensures Veterans are informed, respected and empowered throughout the process.

Veterans consistently recognize the impact of her approach. “Katie was excellent. I have no worries when I’m in her care,” one Veteran shared. Another wrote, “She made me feel important and that my care mattered.” Others described her as “exceptionally compassionate, patient and kind.” One Veteran summed it up clearly: “This is by far the best team that I have experienced at the VA. Katie provides a professional service.”

Katie says it is the gratitude of Veterans that fuels her work. “It’s the thankfulness they have for the care that really engages you,” she said. “It allows you to be the best kind of provider you want to be.”

She also values the support she receives within the VA system. “The VA doesn’t limit resources. They want you to do whatever you can to help support the Veteran,” she said. “That makes you feel supported as a provider and gives you the power to really help improve a Veteran’s quality of life.”

While honored by the recognition, Katie is quick to share the credit. “This recognition is really for the whole GI team and probably the entire medicine department,” she said. “We couldn’t do what we do without dedicated providers, nurses and administrative staff.”

For her collaborative approach, professionalism and dedication to improving the quality of life for those who served, Katie Lasater is recognized as the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System’s Ambassador of Excellence.