Kristofer Charlton-Ouw graduated from Vassar College in New York with a B.A. in History.  After a brief career in the Netherlands working with a medical device company, he pursued his M.D. at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.  He completed his general surgery residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital - Columbia University Medical Center in New York City where he served as the Administrative Chief Resident.  He was a research fellow in cardiovascular surgery at Houston Methodist Hospital.  After completing his clinical fellowship in vascular surgery at Memorial Hermann Hospital and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, he continued as a faculty member for 10 years before founding Gulf Coast Vascular in affiliation with HCA Houston Healthcare in 2020.

Dr. Charlton-Ouw leads Gulf Coast Vascular with the aim of providing world class patient care, training medical students and residents, and conducting innovative research.  He is Medical Director of Vascular Surgery for HCA Gulf Coast Division and Clinical Professor at UHCOM.  He is interested in clinical trials to improve evidence-based practice and is the principal investigator of several sponsored- and investigator-initiated clinical trials.  His clinical and research interests include aortic aneurysm and dissection, prosthetic graft infection, hemodialysis access, peripheral arterial disease, and postoperative pain control.