Stroke and The Sea – Interview w/ Dr Khoury (Vascular Neurologist)

Dr. Khoury I was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs. I started in nursing and phlebotomy before going to medical school in Europe, specifically in Budapest, Hungary. My sister was there, and during a visit, I ended up studying for the entrance exam and got in. That started my journey. I spent about seven years there, including playing American football on their national team, which was a highlight. After graduating from Semmelweis University, I worked in ERs across Ireland for three years. I was supposed to join Doctors Without Borders, but during the Ebola crisis, I got cold feet. My girlfriend at the time suggested working on cruise ships, so I gave it a try. I started with Carnival Cruise Line on the Carnival Dream out of New Orleans and eventually got promoted to shore-side medical roles. At that point, I knew I needed to return to residency to further my career. I joined a psychiatry program but quickly realized it wasn’t for me. Psychiatry lacked the medical component I enjoyed, and much of the work involved social and familial dynamics. I left the program on good terms and returned to Carnival as a medical director. I spent two years in that role, working on industry alignment and operational improvements. Just as the pandemic began, I stayed on to help transition the team but eventually left to pursue neurology. Stroke care was one of the most challenging aspects of my operational work, and I wanted to understand it better. I completed my neurology residency and stroke fellowship at Tulane University, and now I’m training in endovascular neurosurgery.