Rogue doctor Koulis suspended in Illinois

Named 'person of interest' in July 4 death of girlfriend in Tenn.; earlier drug and misconduct allegations in Nashville

Email | Print By David A. Fox

08-26-2005 1:39 PM — Dr. Christ Koulis, the young plastic surgeon who plastered his image on bathroom advertisements around town five or six years ago before being implicated in various kinds of misconduct, has been suspended from practicing in Illinois. However, the suspension did not come until after the 37-year-old Chicago native was listed as a "person of interest" in the death of his girlfriend July 4th during a visit to Tennessee.

According to a report last night by the NBC affiliate in Chicago, in 2002 his girlfriend Lesa Buchanan had required emergency hospitalization after he left her alone, severely over-medicated, in a Kentucky condominium. She was found to have a serious infection from needle injections in her arm. He was jailed, pleaded guilty the following year to a drug charge and received a five-year supervised release.

Koulis came to Nashville in the 1990s to complete a plastic surgery residency at Vanderbilt. In 2001, he was charged by several female patients with sexual misconduct. The state suspended his license the following year due to charges he illegally obtained drugs and engaged in improper activities with patients. Late last year, Tennessee permanently lifted his medical license. According to the NBC report, he also has had his license suspended in Kentucky, Ohio and New York.