Penn Medicine Provider
Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery
Heather Wachtel, MD, FACS
5.0
(342)
Accepting new patients
Sees patients age 15 and up
Penn Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery Perelman 3rd Floor
View 1 additional location
Make an appointmentCall 215-614-1963

About me

  • Chief, Section of Endocrine Surgery
  • Co-Director, Endocrine Disease Team
  • Associate Program Director, Penn General Surgery Residency Program
  • Physician Liason, Abramson Cancer Center
  • Fellow, American College of Surgeons
  • Associate Professor of Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Wachtel’s clinical practice specializes in thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal surgery. Dr. Wachtel is a board-certified surgeon and the co-Director of the Endocrine Disease Team of the Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center. She is one of the only providers in the region offering retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy, which is a minimally invasive adrenalectomy from a retroperitoneal approach. Dr. Wachtel also performs minimally invasive transabdominal adrenalectomy using robotic and laparoscopic techniques.

Education and training

  • Medical School: Yale University
  • Residency: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
  • Fellowship: Massachusetts General Hospital

What my patients think about me

Average Rating
5.0

342 reviews

Comments are submitted by patients and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Penn Medicine.

June 2025
5.0
5.0
friendly and informative
May 2025
5.0
5.0
explain my situation and gave a suggestion to my treatment
May 2025
5.0
5.0
she was very professional
May 2025
5.0
5.0
very pleasant and professional and thorough!

Insurance accepted

My Locations

Learn about location
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Penn Medicine hospital privileges

  • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
Dr. Wachtel is a Penn Medicine physician.

Qualifications and experience

My research

Powers J, Wachtel H, Trujillo E, Desai H, Hausler R, Conway L, Wubbenhorst B, Penn Medicine Biobank, Regeneron Genetics Center, Domchek SM, Nathanson KL, Maxwell KN Multi-ethnic heterozygote frequencies of cancer susceptibility genes to inform counseling of reproductive risk , Genetics in Medicine: 2024

Passman J, Hwang J, Tang J, Fagen M, Epps M, Peifer M, Howell JT, Cohen J, Delgado K, Wachtel H, Herman DS Design and development of a Computable Phenotyping and Creation of an Active Choice Nudge to Enhance Improve Screening for Primary Aldosteronism , JACS: 2024

Passman JE, Ginzberg S, Gasior JA, Krumeich L, Brensinger C, Bader A, Hwang J, Kelz R, Wachtel H Gastrointestinal surgery, malabsorptive conditions, and postoperative hypocalcemia after neck surgery , Surgery: 2024

Passman JE, Gasior JA, Ginzberg SP, Amjad W, Bader A, Hwang J, Wachtel H. Demystifying Delays: Factors Associated with Timely Treatment of Adrenocortical Carcinoma , Am J Surg: 2024

van Rooyen D, Bandulik S, Coon G, Laukemper M, Kumar-Sinha C, Udager AM, Lee C, Wachtel H, Cohen DL, Luther JM, Giordano T, Turcu A, Warth R, Rainey WE, Rege J Somatic Mutations in MCOLN3 in Aldosterone-Producing Adenomas cause Primary Aldosteronism , bioRxiv: 2024

Bader A, Landau S, Hwang J, Passman JE, Lee MK, Fraker DL, Vollmer C, Wachtel H Recurrence and treatment trends in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors: an 18-year review , Surgery: 2024

Kravchenko T, Finn CB, Fraker DL, Kelz RR, Cunningham C, Wachtel H, Krumeich LN Predicting cure and hypocalcemia by intraoperative parathyroid hormone decline in normohormonal primary hyperparathyroidism: a multi-institutional validation study , Surgery: 2024

Wachtel H, Nathanson KL Molecular Genetics of Pheochromocytoma/Paraganglioma , Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research: 2024

Hung M. Wachtel H, Cohen DL, Fraker DL, Trerotola SO Adrenal Vein Sampling Results and Surgical Outcomes in Patients with Non-suppressed Plasma Renin Activity , J Vasc Interv Radiol: 2024

Passman J, Wachtel H. Management of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas , Surgical Clinics of North America: 2024

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