After completing his tour of duty with the United States Air Force as an Aeromedical Evacuation Command Pilot, Dr. Hanker attended Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. His orthopedic surgery residency was at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and an additional year of advanced hand surgical training was accomplished at the University of Southern California (USC) as the Joseph Boyes Hand Surgical Fellow.
He has an academic appointment as Assistant Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at USC. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Dr. Hanker has written numerous scientific articles for many prestigious orthopedic journals and has contributed to many comprehensive textbook chapters on arthroscopic wrist surgery. He has served as the team physician for several local high schools and colleges and remains active in the sports medicine care of local athletes. He was a Sports Medicine Orthopedic Physician at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles.