About

JK Wicks

MBChB (Otago), FRACS (General Surgery), FRACS (Vascular).

JK grew up in Wellington.  His parents moved to New Zealand  from Sri Lanka.  His father was a GP in Lower Hutt for 40 years.  Education was an important priority in the Wicks household and both JK’s brothers are also surgeons in Wellington.  JK graduated from the University of Otago, following this he worked as a house surgeon in Wellington and Auckland.  Mr Wicks then pursued a fellowship in General Surgery followed by a fellowship in Vascular Surgery.  The training for both fellowships took him all around New Zealand and Australia. JK is a busy husband and father and enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports and the piano.

Lupe Taumoepeau

MBChB (Auckland) , FRACS (Vascular).

Lupe was born and raised in Auckland. Her parents moved from Tonga in the 1960s, and placed a high priority on their children obtaining a quality education. This laid the foundation for a career in medicine, and Lupe followed in the footsteps of her grandfather, choosing surgery as a career. Dr Lupe and her younger sister are doctors. Dr Lupe studied medicine at Auckland’s medical school.  Dr Lupe is the only female Vascular & Endovascular surgeon in New Zealand and the only Polynesian Vascular surgeon in the whole of Australasia.  Dr Lupe was a house surgeon throughout hospitals in Auckland followed by Vascular Surgery training which took her throughout  New Zealand and Australia.  Dr Lupe maintains a balanced life as a married mother of one, by spending time in the great outdoors with her friends and family.

Carmen Ruiz

MB ChB, MD, FRCS (Ed)

Carmen is from Glasgow, Scotland. She moved to Nelson in 2016 and works in Nelson as a Vascular Surgeon. She graduated from the University of Glasgow and in 2007 was awarded a postgraduate MD for her research on arterial disease. Carmen trained in General and Vascular surgery across Scotland and completed this in 2012 with her Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. 

Following this, Carmen completed a year-long fellowship in Christchurch before returning to Scotland where she began her Consultant practice in Ayrshire introducing minimally invasive vascular surgery with both endovenous surgery and endovascular aneurysm repair. 

Having fallen in love with New Zealand, Carmen was delighted to return with her young family and take up a position at Nelson Hospital. In her spare time, Carmen enjoys running and cycling in the great Nelson/Tasman outdoors and plays for a local hockey team.

Meet our Surgeons

Dr Lupe and Mr Wicks work at Capital & Coast DHB – Wellington Public Hospital as consultant Vascular Surgeons. They are the founding directors of SVH and pleased to offer their services both in greater Wellington, Kapiti, Palmerston North and Nelson.  Both Mr Wicks and Dr Lupe have had dual training in endovascular and open techniques.  As Vascular Surgeons they diagnose and treat all blood vessel problems from stroke prevention surgery, aneurysms (dilated arteries) and blocked peripheral arteries to varicose veins.  As Vascular Surgeons they are trained and qualified in vascular ultrasound scanning, the primary cornerstone of diagnosis and planning treatment(s) for Vascular conditions.   Mr Wicks is a senior lecturer at the Otago Medical School and he and Dr Lupe do independent research.  Both frequently attend and speak at national and international conferences.