This March, the Department of Surgery welcomes seven new faculty members to the Sections of Acute and Critical Care Surgery, Colon and Rectal Surgery, and Vascular Surgery.
March New Faculty
- Omar Guerra, MD
- Craig Smith, MD
- Jeffrey Zuke, MD
- Lawrence Mendelow, MD
- Alyssa Wait, MD
- Brent Allen, MD
- Jack Oak, MD
Section of Acute and Critical Care Surgery
The Section of Acute and Critical Care Surgery welcomes Omar Guerra, MD as an assistant professor. Guerra received his medical degree from the Universidad Central del Caribe in Puerto Rico in 1999, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society, and went on to complete his surgical residency at Saint Louis University in 2004. His specialties include treatment of diseases of the gallbladder, abdominal wall and inguinal hernias, and surgical emergencies. He performs both laparoscopic and open procedures. Guerra is a board certified general surgeon and a member of the American College of Surgeons and has been consistently recognized in “The Best Doctors in America.”
Craig Smith, MD, also joins the section as an assistant professor. Smith earned his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia in 1995. Smith is an alum of Washington University, having earned an MBA from the university in 2000 and having completed his surgical residency at Barnes Hospital and the School of Medicine in 2003. He then went on to complete a three year research fellowship in immunology and transplant sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Smith is board certified in general surgery and has 15 years of experience in minimally invasive and robotic surgery.
The section additionally welcomes Jeffrey Zuke, MD, as an assistant professor. Zuke was born and raised in St. Louis. Following graduation from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, he returned to St. Louis where he received general surgery residency training at Jewish Hospital of St. Louis from 1979-1985, including a six month surgery fellowship in London, England. He is board certified in general surgery and has been a member of the American College of Surgeons since 1986. Zuke’s expertise includes surgery of abdominal organs, hernias, thyroid disorders, vascular access and laparoscopic surgery.
Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery
Lawrence Mendelow, MD, a surgical specialist in the treatment of diseases of the colon and rectum, joins the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery as an assistant professor. After completing college and medical school at Duke University in North Carolina in 1983, Mendelow completed his general surgery residency at Washington University and Barnes Hospital. He later completed his colon and rectal surgery fellowship at William Beaumont Hospital in Detroit, Michigan. His specialties include the treatment of colon and rectal cancer, minimally invasive colorectal surgery utilizing laparoscopy and robotics, ulcerative colitis, (including pelvic pouch procedures), Crohn’s disease, rectum-saving operations for cancer, and diverticulitis. In addition to abdominal surgery, he also performs diagnostic and therapeutic colonoscopies and surgery for anorectal disorders. Mendelow is board certified in colon and rectal surgery and has been consistently recognized in “The Best Doctors in America.”
Alyssa Wait, MD, is also welcomed to the section as an assistant professor. Wait earned her medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, where she graduated as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society in 2005. After completing her general surgery training at Indiana University School of Medicine, Wait spent two years as a research fellow at the Washington University Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery and later completed a clinical fellowship in colorectal surgery. She specializes in minimally invasive approaches to colorectal disease including laparoscopic surgery, less painful treatment for hemorrhoidal and anorectal problems, and diagnostic/therapeutic colonoscopy. Wait previously served as an assistant professor in the Division of General Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine before returning to Washington University for her most recent appointment. She is a member and fellow of American College of Surgeons as well as the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
Section of Vascular Surgery
Brent Allen, MD, is welcomed to the Section of Vascular Surgery as an associate professor. Allen was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is an alum of Washington University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree at the School of Medicine in 1979 and completed his residency in general surgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. Allen later completed his vascular surgery fellowship in at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, in 1987. Allen is Board Certified in both general surgery and vascular surgery. His clinical interests include endovascular aneurysm repair, carotid artery disease, diabetic vascular disease, lower extremity vascular disease, renovascular hypertension, mesenteric vascular disease, thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms, and the treatment of varicose veins. Allen is consistently recognized in “The Best Doctors in America” list.
The section also welcomes Jack Oak, MD, as an assistant professor. Oak received his undergraduate degree in biology with honors at Stanford University and earned his medical degree from the University of California at San Diego in 2001. While completing his general surgery residency and research fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine, Oak was recognized as a Samuel A. Wells Research Day Finalist in 2005. In 2009, he completed his fellowship in vascular surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Oak is board certified in both general surgery and vascular surgery and specializes in all facets of vascular surgery.
The Department of Surgery welcomes Guerra, Smith and Zuke to the Section of Acute and Critical Care Surgery; Mendelow and Wait to the Section of Colon and Rectal Surgery; and Allen and Oak to the Section of Vascular Surgery and offers congratulations to each for their appointments.