Katie Puening, NP

About Katie

Katie Puening, DNP is an advanced practice provider with the Gastroenterology Center at Valley View. She is a licensed adult and geriatric nurse practitioner with experience in digestive health, chronic disease management, cardiology, and oncology. Katie also has a doctorate of nursing practice from the University of Colorado. “My focus is in improving patient care not from a data perspective,” she says, “but through looking at the whole person and individual care.” In her role at Valley View’s Gastroenterology Center, Katie supports all aspects of the treatment and management of diseases of the gastrointestinal system. She has a special interest in pancreatic biliary diseases and advanced endoscopic procedures. She joins the Center most recently from Valley View’s Palliative Care practice, where she worked as a nurse practitioner supporting people living with serious or life-threating illness and providing pain relief, holistic support and peace of mind. Prior to joining Valley View, Katie spent a large part of her career working in Chicago and Denver, two large metropolitan areas that make patient connection a challenge. “One of the things I love about my current job is the connection I get to make,” she says. “In a large hospital system, you rarely see the same patients twice. Here those patients are a part of the community, just like I am.”

In her current role as a gastroenterology nurse practitioner, Katie gets many opportunities to connect with her patients. “I love getting to know them on a very individual level,” she says. “I have a lot of opportunities to learn who they are and align that with the care we provide. Living in such a small community where connection is easier makes that relationship so much more intimate and productive.” Outside of work, Katie enjoys spinning her own yarn out of Colorado wool and then knitting that yarn into her own creations. “I think my patients have taught me that you have to latch on to those things which bring you joy, and keep those things central in your life,” she says. “Weaving, knitting and spinning represent joy to me, and as such I’ve made time for them even in the midst of a very busy time.”