About

JK Wicks

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

Dr Wicks 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 Dr Wicks’ brothers are also surgeons in Wellington.  Dr Wicks graduated from the University of Otago, following this he worked as a house surgeon in Wellington and Auckland.  Dr 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. Dr Wicks is currently the President of the Vascular Society of New Zealand (VSNZ) and a member of the executive of the Australia and New Zealand Society of Vascular Surgery (ANZSVS). He is a Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of Surgery & Anaesthesia, University of Otago, Wellington and from January 2020 he is the Capital and Coast District Health Board’s Vascular Clinical Leader. 

Dr Wicks is a busy husband and father and enjoys spending time with his family, playing sports and the piano.

Lupe Taumoepeau

MBChB (Auckland) , FRACS (Vascular).

Dr 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 Dr 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 is a Board Member of the Pasifika Medical Association; Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of Surgery & Anaesthesia, University of Otago, Wellington and Provocational Educational Supervisory for the Medical Council of New Zealand. She is also a Mentor for Wāhine Connect, a national mentoring programme to support women in the New Zealand health sector. 

Dr Lupe maintains a balanced life as a married mother of one, by spending time in the great outdoors with her friends and family.

Rhys Thomas 

MBChB (UWCM), FACEM, BSc (Hons)

Dr Thomas grew up in Wales and graduated from the University of Wales College of Medicine with a commendation in 2008. 

After completing basic medical training in Wales in Wales, Dr Thomas moved to New Zealand in 2012 and started training in Emergency medicine.   Dr Thomas became a Fellow of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine in 2019 and has worked as an Emergency Medicine Specialist within Auckland DHBs since then. 

Dr Thomas’ interest in varicose vein procedures comes from his enjoyment of ultrasound-based procedures, which are a regular part of his Emergency Department role. 

Dr Thomas has trained under vascular specialists to gain his phlebology qualification. 

Outside of his work, Dr Thomas maintains a balanced life as a busy husband and father to a young family, playing sports and enjoying outdoor pursuits such as ocean swimming and mountaineering. 

Sergei Tchijov   

MBChB PhD FRACS

Dr Tchijov is an Auckland Vascular and Endovascular Surgeon and a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. He is vocationally registered with the New Zealand Medical Council and a member of the New Zealand Vascular Society and the Australia and New Zealand Society of Vascular Surgeons.

Dr Tchijov has been trained in both surgical and minimally invasive endovascular (keyhole) techniques and vascular ultrasound through several centres of excellence in Australia and New Zealand, including rotations at Gold Coast Hospital (QLD), Wollongong Hospital (NSW), Auckland City Hospital, Waikato Hospital, Wellington Hospital and Christchurch Hospital.

Sergei is a Consultant Vascular Surgeon who has been working at Middlemore Hospital (Counties Manukau District Health Board) since March 2018. His public and private practice involves all aspects of Vascular Surgery, with a strong interest in minimally invasive therapies for varicose veins and therapies for carotid, aortic, upper and lower limb vascular disease.

Dr Tchijov provides comprehensive vascular service including thorough clinical assessment, imaging, specialist advice and an extensive range of modern treatments for patients with various arterial and venous conditions complete with tailored care and postoperative follow-up to optimise recovery.

Dr Tchijov lives a balanced life spending time travelling, playing sports, listening to music and spending time enjoying the outdoors. 

Meet our Wellington-based Surgeons

Dr Lupe and Dr 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 Dr 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.   Dr 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.