Dr. Sunkaru Touray is a US-trained, Board-Certified specialist in Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. He completed his Internal Medicine residency and fellowship in Pulmonary Diseases and Critical Care Medicine at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was honored with the Sarah L. Stone Award for Excellence in Medical Education. He also completed post-graduate research training at Harvard Medical School. Notably, he is the first Gambian to be elected as a Fellow of both the American College of Chest Physicians and the American College of Physicians.
Dr. Touray initiated the Clean Air Initiative in The Gambia after observing a high prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases among non-smokers. Partnering with the National Environment Agency, they are deploying a network of air quality sensors to close air quality data gaps in the country. His clinical experiences, particularly in resource-constrained settings, spurred an interest in implementation science methods to scale up access to innovations in technology and medicine in places where access is limited.
Dr. Touray is a Program Medical Director at Sound Critical Care and ICU Medical Director at CHI St. Luke’s Memorial Hospital in Lufkin, Texas. Previously, he was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a staff physician at Carlsbad Medical Center, New Mexico, where he made significant contributions, including establishing an advanced bronchoscopy program.
A native of Kartong, The Gambia, Dr. Touray earned his medical degree from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology in Ghana, graduating with honors, and receiving the Professor J.W.A. Acheampong Award for the Best Student in the Medicine Clerkships. He subsequently served as a physician house officer in Ghana and completed a Master’s Degree in Epidemiology and Infection Biology at the University of Basel, Switzerland, focusing on climate change and respiratory diseases.
In his leisure time, Dr. Touray enjoys visiting Kartong and exploring the mountains in New Mexico.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Medical Education
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology
MD, Doctor of Medicine
Kumasi, Ghana
Residency: Internal Medicine
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Fellowship: Pulmonary Diseases & Critical Care Medicine
University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
Postgraduate Education
University of Basel
MSc. (Magna Cum Laude) Epidemiology & Infection Biology
Basel, Switzerland
Harvard Medical School
Global Clinical Scholar Research Training Program
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
SPECIALTY BOARD CERTIFICATION
2015 American Board of Internal Medicine- Internal Medicine
2017 American Board of Internal Medicine- Pulmonary Diseases
2018 American Board of Internal Medicine- Critical Care Medicine