Title: Medical Director of Neurointervention
Company: St. Bernards Healthcare
Location: AR/USA
Education: MD, American University of Beirut (2013); BS in Biology, American University of Beirut, with Distinction (2009)
Career History: Medical Director of Neurointervention, St. Bernards Healthcare, Jonesboro, AR (2026-Present); Neurosurgeon, St. Bernards Healthcare, Jonesboro, AR (2025-Present); Cerebrovascular Neurosurgery Fellow, Semmes Murphey, Memphis, TN (2023-2025); Neurological Surgery Resident, University of Louisville, Louisville Metropolitan Area (2016-2023); Post-Doctoral Research Scholar, University of Pittsburgh, PA (2013-2016)
Dr. Nicolas K. Khattar, Medical Director of Neurointervention at St. Bernards Healthcare, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of healthcare.
Dr. Khattar, a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon specializing in the care of patients with neurovascular conditions, including acute strokes, ruptured aneurysms, brain hemorrhages, and spinal vascular malforamtions has excelled at St. Bernards Healthcare in Arkansas since 2025. As a full-time neurosurgeon and now medical director of neurointervention, he works in the operating room and sees patients in the outpatient clinic; oversees the program and addresses day-to-day issues; and refines workflow throughout the hospital to reduce inefficiencies and ensure the highest quality metrics for stroke care or neurosurgical care.
In addition, in a short period, Dr. Khattar is building the neurointervention program at St. Bernards. Before he arrived, the facility did not perform any neurointerventions and since then, they have successfully performed more than 250 cases involving a wide array of diseases and patients. He believes this accomplishment is particularly impressive, as it required extensive education and training for nursing, intensive care unit, emergency department, and operating room staff. Additionally, they established a biplane angiography suite, which launched in January 2026.
Dr. Khattar, born and raised in Lebanon, attributes his success to the persistence, determination, and strong work ethic instilled in him by his parents. He earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the American University of Beirut, graduating with distinction in 2009, and subsequently continued his studies there, ultimately attaining a Doctor of Medicine in 2013. He then relocated to the United States, where he was active as a postdoctoral research scholar the University of Pittsburgh—where he studied acute neurodegenerative diseases, such as stroke, and chronic neurodegenerative conditions like Huntington’s disease—before completing a seven-year neurological surgery residency at the University of Louisville.
As a testament to his impact in the field even in this early stage, Dr. Khattar was honored with a Resident Leadership Award and Resident Teacher of the Year honor. Before starting at St. Bernards, he was a cerebrovascular neurosurgery fellow at Semmes Murphey from 2023 to 2025.
As his career evolves, Dr. Khattar’s current goal is to expand the neurovascular stroke program in Northeast Arkansas, a region largely underserved in this specialty. He aims to achieve Comprehensive Stroke Center status for St. Bernards within the next three to five years. In addition, he is focused on increasing the facility’s capacity to serve the highest number of patients in the region and to provide these vital scenes effectively. Previously, patients facing neurovascular issues had to travel at least an hour and a half to reach larger cities for treatment. His goal is to develop this program to provide high-quality care locally, alleviating the burdens of travel and the disruption to patients’ lives that accompany acute care and recovery.
In addition, his commitment to growth in the healthcare industry is reflective in the more personalized care for each patient in the hospital. The organization actively tests new catheters, devices, and techniques for treating vascular diseases, including stroke, aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, and fistulas. He emphasized that such collaborations keep them at the forefront of technological developments. Furthermore, he highlighted advancements in targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic agents directly into brain tumors as a surgical alternative to systemic chemotherapy and avoiding broad, invasive approaches.