Joseph Khoury, MD, aims to make a difference

Perhaps as many scientists do, Joseph Khoury, MD, traces the beginning of his professional journey to a starter chemistry set and a book on anatomy that his parents had on a shelf in his childhood home.

“I still remember falling in love with the complexity and the beauty of what science is at its core,” Dr. Khoury said.

And medicine, he said, was the best way “to build on that love of science and deliver it in a way that makes a difference in people’s lives.

“That passion has remained with me. If anything, it continues to grow as my ability has evolved to better contribute to the impact of medicine.”

Dr. Khoury arrived at UNMC in June to become the Stokes-Shackleford Professor and chair of the UNMC Department of Pathology and Microbiology. He’s here at what he calls an exciting time in medicine in terms of breakthroughs and advances.

“We have tools at our disposal that people could only dream about just 10 years ago,” he said. “And those span many facets of scientific research as well as clinical care delivery.”

For someone looking to make a difference and excited about advances in medicine and health care, UNMC is a fascinating opportunity, he said.

“UNMC and Nebraska Medicine’s impact across the state is an attractive component,” he said. “From teaching to clinical training to health care delivery, the department is a tremendous resource for the region. In addition, the fact that the Nebraska Public Health Lab is a component of this department allows us to serve the state’s public health needs in an agile manner. Other areas of excellence include biospecimen banking and a bioproduction facility that allows us to foster therapeutic innovations within our institution and beyond.”

Dr. Khoury said his goals for the department include:

• Promoting team science and programmatic growth, both within the department and in collaboration and partnership with other departments;
• Improving clinical efficiency;
• Maximizing the use of increasingly sophisticated bioinformatics tools to aid clinical care delivery, as well as the application and promotion of precision medicine within the health care delivery arena; and
• Supporting and expanding the department’s educational efforts, which he says are “interwoven into the fabric of everything else we’re doing.”
• Advancing faculty development through leadership skills.

As advances continue, the challenge is how to adapt wisely and judiciously to take full advantage of innovations, particularly in the clinical realm, he said.  

Dr. Khoury also is excited at the collaborative research, education and clinical care possibilities at the medical center. “As someone whose expertise is the study of cells and tissues under the microscope, I’ve learned to appreciate lessons from the miniature world that have applications at a macro level. I’ve come to a core conviction that none of us can thrive in isolation,” he said. “Like cells and the tissues they comprise, we humans thrive best in teams and systems, contributing within our scope of expertise. It’s in that spirit that I approach my responsibility as department chair — making sure the department excels internally but recognizing that we function within a broader system. We will embrace opportunities to synergize and collaborate to the benefit of our community, of science and posterity.”