Balancing a demanding surgical residency with community advocacy and statewide competition is no small feat. For Mattie Krause, purpose is the common thread connecting every role she takes on—from the hospital floor to the Miss New Jersey stage.
Krause, a first-year foot and ankle surgical resident at Hoboken University Hospital, was crowned Miss Ramapo Valley last fall as part of the Miss America Organization. This June, she will compete for the title of Miss New Jersey, bringing a distinctive blend of medical training, ballroom dance and a service-driven platform focused on therapy and service animals.
“I’ve always believed that service looks different for everyone,” Krause says. “For me, it’s medicine, education and animals—and finding ways they can all work together.”
A Calling Rooted in Experience
Krause’s path to podiatric medicine began at age 16, when she underwent bilateral foot surgery—an experience that first sparked her interest in the specialty. She later pursued her medical education in Arizona, where podiatric programs are integrated alongside broader medical training, an approach she says gave her a strong clinical and surgical foundation.
Now based in North Jersey, she is completing her residency while preparing for competition season. She credits her program’s leadership and colleagues for supporting her dual commitments.
“My residency has been incredibly supportive,” she explains. “Medicine always comes first, but they understand how meaningful this work is to me and how closely it connects to patient care.”
A Platform for Healing—With Paws
At the center of Krause’s advocacy work is The Healing Paws Network, a nonprofit she founded to expand education and access related to therapy and service animals in schools, hospitals and community settings.
Her initiative draws from both research and lived experience, including work with veterans, individuals with disabilities and patients in clinical environments. She emphasizes measurable outcomes tied to animal-assisted support programs.
“There’s strong research showing therapy and service animals can reduce hospital stays, decrease pain medication use and improve overall well-being,” Krause notes. “It’s not just emotional—it’s evidence-based.”
Through Healing Paws, she partners with local and national organizations to deliver educational programming, including school presentations, hospital staff education and youth workshops. She also serves as an ambassador coordinator for the planned National Service Animal Monument project in Washington, D.C.
Breaking New Ground on the Miss New Jersey Stage
This year marks Krause’s final year of eligibility in the Miss America Organization—and she plans to make it count. Following a recent rules update, she will introduce partner ballroom dance to the Miss New Jersey talent stage for the first time.
Krause, a competitive ballroom dancer, trains at Fred Astaire Hoboken and will perform a foxtrot in the American Smooth style with her dance partner, Alex Milov—marking the first time this partner ballroom format will appear as a talent presentation on the Miss New Jersey stage.
“Dance is storytelling, discipline and connection all at once,” she shares. “It communicates without words.”
She hopes her presence on stage also broadens representation in both medicine and competition. To date, no doctor has held the Miss New Jersey or Miss America title—a statistic she views as motivation.
“Medicine—especially surgical specialties—is still male-dominated,” she explains. “Representation matters. When young women see someone combining science, service and leadership, it expands what feels possible.”
Community at the Center
Krause is active across North Jersey through school visits, parades and local events connected to her title. Community outreach remains a core expectation of the Miss America Organization, and she approaches appearances as an extension of her service platform.
She is also a rescue dog owner, and one of her dogs, Solo, is a certified therapy animal who joins her for select visits to schools and senior centers.
“Animals open doors that conversation alone sometimes can’t,” she shares. “They create comfort and connection instantly.”
Looking Ahead
As she prepares for the Miss New Jersey competition, scheduled for June 17–20 at the Music Pier in Ocean City, Krause remains focused on long-term impact beyond the crown. Her goals include pursuing a surgical fellowship after residency and expanding Healing Paws programming—with a future vision of opening a therapy-focused farm facility.
“This title has a timeline,” she emphasizes. “The mission doesn’t.”
For Krause, success is measured less by awards and more by outcomes—patients helped, students educated and communities reached.
“Titles are meaningful,” she adds, “but service is what lasts.”
Mattie Krause
Miss America Organization Title:
Miss Ramapo Valley
Miss New Jersey Competition:
June 17–20
Music Pier — Ocean City, NJ
missnj.org
Community Platform:
Founder — The Healing Paws Network
Education and advocacy for therapy and service animals
healingpawsnetwork.org
Talent Category:
Partner ballroom dance
Foxtrot — American Smooth style
Competition Phases:
Interview
On-stage question
Talent
Fitness
Evening gown
Follow:
Instagram: @missramapovalleynj
Instagram: @healingpawsnetwork