Zachary Wanken, MD, MS, was named program director for the WashU Medicine vascular surgery integrated residency. His role as program director is effective as of September 1.
Wanken, an assistant professor of surgery, earned his medical degree from Saint Louis University School of Medicine in 2015. He completed vascular surgery residency training at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire in 2021. During his residency, he completed a post-doctoral fellowship through the American Heart Association as part of a strategically focused research network targeting vascular disease.
Before his role as program director for the residency, Wanken has had many other educational roles. He is associate program director for the vascular surgery fellowship and briefly served as program director in an interim role in 2024. He is also the faculty wellness champion for both residency and fellowship and organizes quarterly journal club. He has also served in many medical student roles including director of the clerkship and sub-intern rotations as well as faculty lead of the vascular surgery interest group.
“Dr. Wanken has been a tireless advocate for resident education throughout his time at WashU and brings a new energy and excitement to the training program leadership,” said J. Westley Ohman, MD, the director of the Division of Vascular Surgery and co-director of the Heart and Vascular Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. “I look forward to seeing how he will grow the program to new heights under his leadership.”
In addition to his educational leadership, Wanken maintains a busy clinical practice with a primary focus on the minimally invasive treatment of complex aortic aneurysms using branched and fenestrated endovascular devices. His research portfolio includes more than twenty peer-reviewed publications centered on aortic aneurysm repair, with particular emphasis on follow-up surveillance and reintervention after endovascular repair. This work has highlighted the critical importance of durability in endovascular strategies. Wanken’s overarching goal is to expand access to minimally invasive aortic repair by advancing device technology and refining procedural techniques.
Nationally, Wanken serves as a reviewer for the Journal of Vascular Surgery, Journal of Vascular Surgery Cases and Innovative Techniques, Annals of Vascular Surgery, Surgery, and Journal of Endovascular Therapy.
He has been regional director for the Aortic Trauma Foundation for the Heartland Region since 2022 and is the current chairman of the student education committee of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society (VESS), having also served as an attending member of the communications committee of VESS from 2020 to 2023.
“It is an honor to help lead a program that has such a rich tradition of excellence in vascular surgery,” Wanken said. “Our goal is to prepare trainees not only to deliver the highest level of patient care, but also to lead innovation, research, and education in the field.”