Meet the Downtown Chicago Robotic Thoracic Surgery Team

Ankit Bharat, MD

Ankit Bharat, MD

Rated 4.9
373 Ratings
Primary Specialty: Thoracic Surgery
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Samuel S. Kim, MD

Samuel S. Kim, MD

Rated 4.9
672 Ratings
Primary Specialty: Thoracic Surgery
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Chitaru Kurihara, MD

Chitaru Kurihara, MD

Rated 4.8
44 Ratings
Primary Specialty: Thoracic Surgery
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Kalvin C H Lung, MD

Kalvin C H Lung, MD

Rated 4.9
309 Ratings
Primary Specialty: Thoracic Surgery
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Diego Mauricio Avella Patino, MD

Diego Mauricio Avella Patino, MD

Rated 5.0
182 Ratings
Primary Specialty: Thoracic Surgery
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Samuel Kim, MD, director of Robotic Thoracic Surgery, leads a team of thoracic surgeons specially trained on the da Vinci® Xi, a state-of-the-art robotic surgery system. Dr. Kim has completed more than 600 thoracic robotic operations, including:

  • Lobectomy
  • Segmentectomy
  • Benign esophageal surgery
  • Esophagectomy
  • Thymectomy

Ankit Bharat, MD, chief of Thoracic Surgery, is a leading expert in robotic thoracic surgery:

  • He performed the first successful robotic lung volume reduction surgery (LVRS) in the U.S. for a patient with emphysema.
  • He performed the first robotic tracheoplasty in Illinois for disabling tracheobronchomalacia.
  • He routinely performs complex reconstructions for lung cancer and re-operative surgeries with robotic technology.
  • He is among the most experienced surgeons using robotic treatments of mediastinal and thymic tumors.

David Odell, MD, performs all aspects of robot-assisted thoracic surgery, including esophageal and lung surgery. He has a unique interest in esophageal diseases as well as quality improvements in robotic procedures.