San Diego Female Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Katerina Gallus Bio
Dr. Katerina Gallus is an experienced and accomplished board-certified female plastic surgeon in San Diego who enjoys positively impacting her patients’ lives through modern plastic surgery techniques. She is a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and was recognized by the organization on its “Exceptional Women In Medicine” list in 2024.
Dr. Katerina Gallus’ Career
After a successful career as a Navy plastic surgeon, Dr. Gallus founded the La Jolla plastic surgery practice, Restore SD Plastic Surgery, with the intention of creating a welcoming space for anyone seeking cosmetic enhancement. Restore SD Plastic Surgery offers skin care, injectables, laser treatments, aesthetician services, and plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Dedicated to serving others, she began her education with a Bachelor of Science from Duke University while on academic and ROTC scholarships. She pursued her dream of becoming a physician at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, where she met and eventually married her husband. A Naval Academy graduate himself, the newly-married couple set out for a career in Navy Medicine after completing medical school.
After her internship, Dr. Gallus served as a general medical practitioner with the Marines. During this time, she had the opportunity to travel the world, visiting such places as Dubai, Singapore, and Thailand in support of their mission. She returned to complete her General Surgery Residency at the Naval Medical Center – San Diego. Although achieving board certification in General Surgery was a huge milestone, Dr. Gallus decided to complete a Residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana to fulfill her dream of becoming a plastic surgeon.
Dr. Katerina Gallus is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) and has over a decade of experience in cosmetic surgery of the breast and body, facial rejuvenation, and breast reconstruction. A trusted plastic surgeon, her opinions are nationally respected, and she is a requested expert for meetings, panels, and journal articles.
In 2006, Dr. Gallus returned to the Naval Medical Center – San Diego, where she became double board-certified in Plastic Surgery and General Surgery. She and her husband started their family in between multiple deployments. She deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom at a forward base in Afghanistan, providing immediate surgical trauma support to our wounded soldiers and sailors. Upon returning from her deployment in 2011, the couple had their third daughter and settled into senior leadership roles at the Navy Medical Center in San Diego.
In addition to providing plastic and reconstructive care to our nation’s sailors, Marines, retirees, and their families, Dr. Gallus was the Program Director for the Transitional Year Residency, training nearly 100 young Navy physicians. A natural leader, she chaired the Plastic Surgery Department for three years and set a new standard as the Specialty Leader for the entirety of Navy Plastic Surgery.
Female Plastic Surgeon in San Diego: Dr. Katerina Gallus
Professional Memberships & Recognition
Dr. Gallus is a member of the following professional societies:
- The Aesthetic Society
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)
- American College of Surgeons (ACS)
- California Society of Plastic Surgeons (CSPS)
- San Diego Plastic Surgery Society, President Elect (SDPSS)
- San Diego County Medical Society
- Young Plastic Surgeons Steering Committee (YPSSC) (2012-14)
She is also a contributing voice in mentoring and guiding young plastic surgeons. In 2017, she was elected Vice-Chair of the ASPS’ Women’s Plastic Surgery (WPS) committee and is currently the Chair of WPS. She has co-chaired 3 successful conferences for WPS and is also the co-chair for the Practice Management track of the ASPS’ annual spring meeting.
Dr. Gallus is a contributing voice in mentoring and guiding young plastic surgeons through her involvement with the Women’s Plastic Surgery committee of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Dr. Gallus is highly involved and recognized in the plastic surgeon community. She serves as the President Elect of the San Diego Plastic Surgery Society. In 2024, she was awarded the esteemed California Society of Plastic Surgeons Presidential Award and served as co-chair of the 2024 CSPS Annual Meeting.
Dr. Gallus also represented the Southwest region on the ASPS’ Ethics Committee and was elected Chair of Ethics her final year of service. In addition to the WPS, she is active in multiple other ASPS committees, including the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Committee; the Membership Committee; the Public Education Committee; and the West Regional representative on the 2022 ASPS/PSF Nominating Committee, an elected position.
Dr. Gallus has been named a Castle Connolly Top Doctor since 2023, and was listed by Castle Connolly as one of its “Exceptional Women In Medicine” in 2024.
Teaching & Speaking Commitments
In 2022, Dr. Gallus was a speaker at the ASPS spring meeting and the California Society of Plastic Surgeons meeting. During the academic year of 2019-2020, Dr. Gallus was selected to be a Visiting Professor on behalf of the Plastic Surgery Foundation. She traveled and lectured at multiple plastic surgery residency programs, including UCLA, Emory University, and Vanderbilt University. In addition, she was invited to speak at the Northwestern Society of Plastic Surgeons’ (NWSPS) meeting in Sun Valley, Idaho. She is an Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University and a Clinical Instructor at the University of California – San Diego.
As a female plastic surgeon, Dr. Gallus is proud to help narrow the gender gap in a male-dominated industry where only 20% of practicing plastic surgeons are women, despite the fact that 92% of plastic surgery patients are female.
Plastic Surgery Research Publications
Dr. Gallus has published and reviewed numerous academic journals:
- Gallus, Katerina. Labiaplasty: A Comprehensive Review of Indications, Techniques, and Outcomes, Advances in Cosmetic Surgery, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yacs.2025.01.003.
- Author of a chapter in the textbook A Comprehensive Guide to Male Aesthetic and Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, edited by Seth R. Thaller and Mimis N. Cohen.
- Paige Benyamein, Lucy Sheahan, Miriam Becker, Emily Ewing, Anureet Bajaj, Katerina Gallus, Amanda Gosman, A Work in Progress: Women’s Status in the Plastic Surgery Workforce and Recommendations for Success, Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 44, Issue 11, November 2024, Pages 1227–1237, https://doi.org/10.1093/asj/sjae121.
- Reghunathan, Meera, Chen, Wendy, Kanth, Adithi, Gallus, Katerina. “Factors Affecting Female Plastic Surgeons’ Decision to Pursue and Maintain an Academic Career: A Qualitative Analysis” Best Paper Presentation – Plastic Surgery. The Meeting, 2021.
- Reghunathan, Meera; Parmeshwar, Nisha; Gallus, Katerina M., Gosman, Amanda A. “Diversity in Plastic Surgery: Trends in Female Representation at Plastic Surgery Meetings,” Annals of Plastic Surgery, 84(5S): S278-S282, May 2020.
- Gallus, K, Goldberg, K, Field R. “Case Report: Functional Improvement Following Diastasis Rectus Abdominus Repair in an Active-Duty Female,” Military Medicine, 181, 8: e952-e954, 2016.
- Protocol S-13-004 “Fractional Ablative Laser-Assisted Tissue Expansion in a Porcine Model, a Pilot Study” – Assistant Investigator.
- Reviewer, Military Medicine Journal.
- Reviewer, PRS Global Open Journal.
- Reviewer, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal.
Plastic Surgery Articles
Dr. Gallus has had the honor of publishing and being featured in numerous articles:
- Meet Dr. Katerina Gallus Canvas Rebel
- Dr. Gallus featured in SD Voyager
- “Can You Get Botox While Breastfeeding“ Romper.
- “Breaching the Barrier” MedEsthetics.
- “5 Things You Need to Create a Successful Career as a Plastic Surgeon“, Medium.com
- “Annual Plastic Surgery Meeting Makes Strides in Speaker Diversity” Doximity.
- “Starting a Private Plastic Surgery Practice from Scratch” Doximity, May 2018.
- “Guns and Roses” featured in PRSonally Speaking, April 2016.
- “Military Plastic Surgeons Balance Duty to Patients and Country” by Keith Loria, Plastic Surgery News, October/November 2014.
- “The Last Stitch, Surgeon Spotlight”, Plastic Surgery News, June 2014.
Our Private, On-site La Jolla Plastic Surgery Center
In 2022, Dr. Gallus opened Restore SD Plastic Surgery Center—an on-site, private operating room housed within our La Jolla plastic surgeon’s practice. This means your surgery will be performed in a quiet, spa-like setting rather than a busy hospital. The operating room is also designed to be an optimal environment for patient safety. The surgery center is fully accredited by Quad A (formerly known as the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities, or AAAASF). Considered the “gold standard” in facility accreditation, Quad A monitors the surgery center for over 350 stringent patient safety standards.
As an added layer of safety, Dr. Gallus also holds hospital privileges at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and is affiliated with several other private outpatient surgical facilities located within minutes of our office, including The Scripps Ambulatory Surgery Center — Ximed Building; The Outpatient Surgery Center of La Jolla; La Jolla Professional Plastic Surgery; and La Jolla Surgery Center.
Motherhood & Family Life of a Female San Diego Plastic Surgeon
When she’s not in her San Diego plastic surgery office or the operating room, Dr. Gallus enjoys yoga and spending time at the beach with her family. Her three daughters and husband keep her busy, happily ensuring that she barely has time to read fiction or create elaborate home-cooked meals—just the way she likes it.
Dr. Gallus’ Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Gallus’ curriculum vitae is available to view or download.
- Click here to view Dr. Gallus’ curriculum vitae
- Read Dr. Gallus’ patient reviews
- Read Dr. Gallus’ blog
