Dr. Clara K. Zhu is a general surgeon in private practice with Associated Surgeons of San Luis Obispo in Pismo Beach, California. Her practice includes abdominal wall, foregut, and colon surgery. She completed an Advanced GI/MIS and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship at the University of Texas at Houston, McGovern Medical School (August 2024–July 2025), where she also served as a Clinical Instructor of Surgery (August 2024–July 2025). Prior to fellowship, Dr. Zhu completed her residency in the Department of Surgery at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey (July 2018–June 2024) and served as a Clinical Instructor of Surgery at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University (July 2023–June 2024).

Dr. Zhu earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Boston University School of Medicine (August 2014–May 2018) after completing a Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science at the University of Pennsylvania (August 2010–June 2014), graduating summa cum laude. Her professional certifications include Advanced Trauma Life Support Instructor (2020), Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (2021), Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (2021), American Board of Surgery certification (#074960; 2024), and an ASMBS Bariatric Fellowship Certificate (2025).

She holds medical licensure in California (A203277; issued June 6, 2025; expires August 31, 2027) and Texas (V0911; issued April 19, 2024; expires May 31, 2027), and previously held a New Jersey license (25MA11674700; issued November 3, 2022; expires June 30, 2025). Dr. Zhu also holds a U.S. Department of Justice license (FZ4018645; issued April 15, 2024; expires May 31, 2027). Her professional memberships include the American College of Surgeons, American Medical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, Association of Women Surgeons, Society of Asian Academic Surgeons, and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract.

Dr. Zhu has received multiple honors and awards spanning undergraduate and medical training and her surgical residency, and has contributed to process improvement initiatives, including virtual residency interview preparation (2021) and development of an electronic patient database for a rectal cancer center of excellence (2022). She has authored and co-authored peer-reviewed manuscripts and presented research across a range of surgical topics, including telemedicine, oncologic and gastrointestinal surgery, and outcomes research.