He completed his residency in general surgery at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, followed by fellowship training in cardiothoracic surgery at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Conn. He has studied with experts in the fields of robotic surgery in Belgium and cardiac transplantation in England. Youssef is board-certified in surgery and has authored several books and scientific articles. Dr. Youssef is married with two children. He is an accomplished speaker whose hobbies include choral music, painting, coaching junior league basketball, ethnic cooking and home improvements.