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The group to perform the first ESD cases at Cleveland Clinic upon Dr. Bhatt’s return from Japan. Left to right: Arthi Kumaravel, MD, John Vargo, MD, MPH, Amit Bhatt, MD, and Matthew Kroh, MD
Cleveland Clinic's Digestive Disease Institute has appointed innovative gastroenterologist Amit Bhatt, MD, as Vice Chair of Innovations, leveraging his decade-long experience developing patented medical devices for complex endoscopic procedures. This strategic appointment aims to demystify the innovation process within the institute while fostering collaborative partnerships to advance transformative technologies in digestive medicine.
Amit Bhatt, MD, Vice Chair of Innovations in the Digestive Disease Institute (DDI), Director of Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection, and Co-Director of the Endoluminal Surgery Center at Cleveland Clinic, has embarked on a new chapter in his journey to advance medical innovation. Drawing on over a decade of personal experience in medical invention, Dr. Bhatt aims to foster collaborative innovation throughout DDI and beyond.
Dr. Bhatt's innovation journey began during his Gastroenterology fellowship at Cleveland Clinic, when he traveled to Japan to learn advanced endoscopic techniques not widely practiced in the West. While observing Japanese physicians perform complex procedures, he identified critical challenges in endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD).
"I started to think not only of how to do the procedure, but how to make it easier and safer to perform," Dr. Bhatt explains. "I started drawing out different ideas."
Upon returning to Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Bhatt connected with Cleveland Clinic Innovations, which helped transform his sketches into working prototypes and, eventually, patented medical devices that make ESD safer and more accessible.
"We came up with a very simple solution that will allow more physicians throughout the world to perform this procedure more safely and more efficiently," says Dr. Bhatt. "Innovation allows you to touch more patients' lives than you can do individually."
As Vice Chair of Innovations at DDI, Dr. Bhatt aims to demystify the innovation process and make it accessible for all caregivers.
“I know from my own journey how opaque and intimidating innovation can be. We are here to help demystify that process, helping move caregivers with ideas to inventors with invention disclosures, potentially prototypes, and then towards commercialization," he says.
"Breaking down silos and building a collaborative team is essential," Dr. Bhatt emphasizes. "We have people from so many different walks of life—scientists, engineers, and some of the greatest clinicians in our hospital. Bringing those teams together is the key to moving innovations forward." Some of the ways Dr. Bhatt will incorporate an innovative spirit within DDI include:
This collaboration aligns with innovation as one of Cleveland Clinic's core values, extending the enterprise’s impact on patient care globally.
Dr. Bhatt envisions DDI as not only a source of internal innovation but also as a hub for collaboration with external partners.
"We want not only to develop innovation from within, but also support companies on their innovation journey," he states. "We have phenomenal engineers, labs, and world-class physicians; this is a great place for testing, developing, or even co-developing ideas together with companies and Cleveland Clinic."
Looking ahead for DDI, Dr. Bhatt identifies artificial intelligence and robotics as prime areas for transformative innovation in digestive diseases.
"We're in the age of artificial intelligence, and the question now is, how can AI tangibly help us as clinicians? How can it help us take better care of patients?" Dr. Bhatt asks. "The goal of Cleveland Clinic is to take the best care of patients. Innovation allows us to do that even better."
Dr. Bhatt's passion for innovation reflects his commitment to improving patient care: "When we innovate or make something better, that helps every physician in every country, in every hospital, to take better care of patients."
