Highlighting a successful – and untraditional – surgical accomplishment by alum Andy Wright, MD
Vip, a Western Lowlands gorilla at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, has now undergone not one but two surgeries, one performed by a University of Wisconsin alum. In November 2013, a physician was called in to perform emergency sinus surgery on the 450-pound gorilla. Vip, whose name stands for “very important primate,” recovered nicely. But in July of this year, Vip needed emergency umbilical hernia surgery after zookeepers noticed that he was not eating and was repeatedly touching his abdomen. Dr. Andrew Wright, a class of 2005 resident, current director of the University of Washington Medicine Hernia Center, and surgeon at Northwest Hospital stepped in to perform surgery on the gorilla. Vip’s good health has returned, thanks to the skills and kindness of a talented surgeon!