A Texas urologist named Nathan Robert Starke was fired from Houston Methodist Hospital and had his medical license suspended. He had tested positive for cocaine and kratom in October 2024. And while the drug issues are serious enough, questions about his past have also surfaced. He has a troubled history of run-ins with the law.
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According to KPRC, it was back in August 2024 that Starke started showing “signs of impairment” during a procedure. At the time, he was operating on a patient’s prostate. Starke, who became a physician back in June 2017, was later suspended from his job at Houston Methodist Hospital. Reportedly, he was only present at one of his surgeries during the last three minutes of the intervention. Starke was, however, the attending physician.
The outlet revealed that this was not the first time that Starke was dealing with issues related to impairment. Starke agreed to undergo drug and alcohol screenings in 2023, according to ABC13. However, in October 2024, Starke tested positive for cocaine and kratom, an opioid-effect-inducing herbal substance. The Houston Methodist Hospital confirmed to various outlets that Starke is no longer employed with them.
Starke Under Fire
As his suspension was made public, his past also came to light. According to FOX 26, Starke was arrested and charged with assaulting his girlfriend in 2023, the same year he started his substance screenings. Moreover, doctor Nathan Robert Starke also was arrested in 2017 and 2007 for driving while intoxicated.
Chris Tritico, a FOX 26 legal analyst, said that his past legal history is “probably something that the medical board would call him in and make him take counseling over.” Tritico also said that should Starke want to go back to performing surgeries, he would need to “prove that he is substance-free.” He called substance abuse a “medical problem.”…