Obituary of Dr. Michael Eric Wachs

Michael Wachs, MD, passed away on Jan. 17, surrounded by his wife, Traci, and three daughters -- Rachael, Katie and Sarah -- along with all members of his extended family.

Dr. Wachs served as Chief of Abdominal Transplant Surgery at Children’s Hospital Colorado and Professor of Surgery at University of Colorado School of Medicine. He was an exceptional provider, surgeon, educator, colleague and leader. He joined the pediatric transplant program at Children’s Colorado in 1995 and helped it become one of the most successful pediatric transplant centers in the nation. In partnership with the University of Colorado, he helped to build one of the largest pediatric living donor transplant programs in the nation.

Dr. Wachs was born and raised in Baltimore. He attended Harvard University for undergraduate studies, received his doctorate from Icahan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and completed his surgery residency at University Health Center of Pittsburgh, where he was fortunate to work with Dr. Thomas Starzl, known to most as the “father of modern transplantation.” After he discovered his passion for transplant, Dr. Wachs became a transplant surgery fellow at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. Dr. Wachs was proud of his one and only place of employment, the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Throughout his career in transplant surgery, he performed hundreds of adult and pediatric liver and kidney transplants. Dr. Wachs was passionate about living donation and encouraged all transplant candidates to consider living donors, if possible. His dedication to pediatric transplant patients and their families was obvious to everyone -- and as their surgeon, he became a part of their family. Dr. Wachs’ other passion was the training of young surgeons and developing their talent. Countless medical students chose their career path based on his influence. He considered his greatest career accomplishment to be training Dr. Megan Adams.

Your gift in memory of Dr. Wachs will go to support the Pediatric Transplant Program at Children's Hospital Colorado.