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 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. 

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 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.

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.