Zaynoun El Khoury, M.D., brings a wealth of excellent training and qualifications to his new position as cardiothoracic surgeon for Cotton O’Neil and Stormont Vail Health.
Cotton O’Neil is proud to announce that Dr. El Khoury has joined our medical team and will practice as a cardiothoracic surgeon. His practice will be located at Cotton O’Neil Heart Center, 830 S.W. Mulvane in Topeka.
Dr. El Khoury has comprehensive clinical training in all aspects of cardiothoracic surgery with a focus on open and minimally invasive cardiac surgery procedures including coronary artery bypass surgery (on/off pump); valve surgery, including transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR); both heart and lung transplant surgery; ventricular assisted device surgery; pulmonary thromboendarterectomy; and both benign and malignant thoracic surgery. He embraces the importance of innovative treatments and less-invasive procedures, which give new hope to patients living with heart and lung disease.
He also brings a tender compassion for community. Dr. El Khoury’s colleagues have described him as an exceptionally personable, intelligent and motivated young man who is eager to please and serve. He embraces the power of information and communication technologies to support patients and their families with the best available information, while respecting their individual values and preferences. He also believes that working cooperatively with other members of the health care team is the key for success and better patient care.
His journey has been far from conventional. “The path that took me to where I am today is definitely not the one with least resistance,” said Dr. El Khoury. “In fact, during each stage, I had to reevaluate and recommit to what I valued the most.”
Dr. El Khoury received his medical degree at the American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2007. He completed a preliminary residency in general surgery at the Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, Minnesota, in 2009. He completed a categorical residency in general surgery at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 2014. Dr. El Khoury completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic and vascular surgery at the University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, in 2016.
Giving back to the community is something that Dr. El Khoury is very passionate about. “My choice through life, and in my career, has seldom been identical,” said Dr. El Khoury. “As a child from a rural village North of Lebanon, my aspirations and goals were shaped by conscientious, loving parents and teachers who instilled in me a sense of discipline, compassion and determination.”
In Lebanon he served in multiple non-political, non-religious, non-profit medical organizations affiliated with the United Nations Foundation. He was an active member and involved in several projects, including peer education for HIV-AIDS and organizing medical care for displaced victims of the 2006 war in Lebanon. He also served on surgical missions including an assignment to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 2012.
“As senior resident, I accompanied one of my general surgery faculty members on a surgical mission opportunity at King’s Hospital in Haiti,” said Dr. El Khoury. “In an inpatient and outpatient setting we provided a wide array of general surgery services to the medically underserved population of Port-au-Prince.”
Dr. El Khoury is board certified in general surgery and is a member of the American College of Surgeons and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. He is now accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment, talk to your primary care physician about a referral to this specialty physician.