Dr. Jacqueline Youtsos

Dr. Jacqueline Youtsos, MD, didn’t take a straight line to medicine—she took a meaningful one.

Growing up on the shores of a Wisconsin lake, Jackie spent her summers as a community lifeguard, watching over families and loving the sun on her skin. That same sun, years later, would become her teacher. After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and her medical degree from the American University of the Caribbean, Dr. Youtsos began her family medicine residency at the University of Chicago and NorthShore Family Medicine program.

Then came the diagnosis that changed everything.

While still a resident, Dr. Youtsos learned she had melanoma—a direct consequence of years of unprotected sun exposure and tanning bed use. For the first time, she sat on the other side of the exam table. Rather than retreat, she poured herself into every elective on skin pathology and medical imaging she could find. She underwent cancer removal while continuing her training. She beat cancer. Then, she beat it again when it returned.

In 2012, she graduated as a Board-Certified Doctor of Family Medicine. She moved to New Mexico, then to Kansas, where she noticed a troubling gap: local patients had to drive hours for basic skin and cosmetic care. So she built a solution. In 2016, Dr. Youtsos founded ReNu Medical & Spa in Pittsburg, KS—a medically underserved area—and made sure to accept both Medicare and Medicaid so that no one was turned away based on insurance.

Today, she has served over 7,500 patients across four locations. She speaks nationally for Alma Lasers as an endorsed provider and consults for TreCeuticals. At home on Farlington Lake, she raises her daughters with her husband Eric, a physical therapist, and still finds time for Florida beaches. This scholarship is her way of inviting you to turn your own challenges into compassionate, accessible care for others.