Texas Medical Board suspends license of Houston doctor accused of being impaired during surgeries

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Texas Medical Board suspended a doctor's license after he was accused of being impaired during several surgeries at Houston Methodist Urology Associates.

On Sept. 6, Dr. Nathan Robert Starke was suspended from the hospital when he was accused of being impaired during several surgeries in August and September 2024.

Records show he met with a patient in August prior to a sensitive prostate biopsy and showed signs of impairment.

Records show he allegedly was absent for all but three minutes of surgery, during which he was the attending physician.

Houston Methodist confirmed with Eyewitness News that Dr. Starke is no longer employed at the hospital.

According to the Texas Medical Board, Starke earned his license in June 2017. Just one month later, he was arrested and later convicted of driving drunk.

It's unclear when he started working at Houston Methodist, but during that time, he was suspended for "impairment" and began submitting to drug and alcohol screening since at least 2023, a year before these latest allegations.

In 2023, records show he was also charged with assaulting his then-girlfriend, who was bruised and chipped a tooth.

Starke continued his work at Methodist through this-in a since scrubbed profile, he's listed as a urologist and the head of the Men's Health Clinic.

After he was suspended in September, records show he agreed to submit to regular drug and alcohol testing.

The situation came to a head in October when tests came back positive for cocaine and kratom, a supplement often taken to boost energy or curb drug withdrawals.

Records show that during the latest allegations, Dr. Starke worked at the Houston Methodist, located at 6560 Fannin St., which is listed online as "permanently closed."

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