Colonel Sandra Wanek

Colonel Sandra Wanek was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1990 through the Army ROTC program at Michigan State University, where she earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Psychology, along with a minor in Medical Ethics and History. She was a Distinguished Military Graduate. She later earned her Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1997 through the Health Professions Scholarship Program.

Colonel Wanek completed her surgical internship at Madigan Army Medical Center and her general surgery residency at Oregon Health & Sciences University. She further specialized in trauma and critical care through fellowships in Trauma/Surgical Critical Care at Oregon Health & Sciences University and Burn Surgery at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR). She also completed extracorporeal life support training at the University of Regensburg, Germany.

Her active duty service from 2003 to 2011 included assignments as Trauma and Burn Surgeon and member of the Burn Flight Team at USAISR, San Antonio, Texas; CENTCOM Burn Surgeon in Baghdad, Iraq; Trauma and Burn Surgeon, SICU Director, Acute Lung Injury Team Lead, and EUCOM General Surgery Consultant at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany. She also deployed as a Trauma Surgeon with the 126th, 912th, and 848th Forward Surgical Teams (FST) in Afghanistan and the 628th FST in Indonesia.

Additional assignments include Chief of Surgery for the 3274th Hospital in Kosovo; Chief of Surgery, Deputy Commander for Clinical Services, and Interim Commander of the 396th Combat Support Hospital in Vancouver, Washington; Command Surgeon for 3D Medical Command (Deployment Support) in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Medical Commander for Operation Allies Refuge in Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar; and Battalion Commander of the 7451st Medical Operational Readiness Unit at Joint Base Lewis–McChord, Washington.

Her awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with "M" device, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with one campaign star, Kosovo Campaign Medal with bronze service star, Valorous Unit Award, Superior Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Award, Aviation Badge, Parachutist Badge, and the Norwegian Foot March Badge.

In recognition of the great credit her exemplary service, superior leadership, and dedication to duty has brought to Michigan State University and the United States Army, Colonel Sandra Wanek is inducted into the MSU Army ROTC Hall of Fame, this twenty-third day of October two thousand twenty-five, in the one hundred twenty-fifth year of Military Science at MSU.