Avinash Bhakta

Avinash Bhakta, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at University of Kentucky, with additional appointments as a Member of the Markey Cancer Center / Cancer Research Priority Initiative and the Translational Oncology Research Program.

Dr. Bhakta completed his medical education at University of Nevada (MD, 2010; BS, 2006) and completed his residency at Albany Medical Center, Albany, NY (2015).

His research focuses on several key areas in surgical oncology and healthcare delivery:

• Colorectal Surgery and Colectomy procedures (100% of research profile)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease management (69% of research profile)
• Surgical infection prevention and treatment (52% of research profile)
• Quality improvement initiatives in surgical care (47% of research profile)
• Colon carcinoma research with emphasis on disparities in Appalachian Kentucky (46% of research profile)
• Healthcare cost analysis and social determinants of health (40% of research profile)

Dr. Bhakta's recent research has examined barriers to standard care in Appalachian gastrointestinal cancer patients, survival disparities in colon cancer, the impact of Medicaid expansion on inflammatory bowel disease, and barriers to telemedicine access for Medicare patients.

His scientific contributions include numerous publications and active research projects:

• Pathways to Prevention: Exploring Social Determinants of Health in Early Onset Colorectal Cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2025-2027)
• HPV16 E6 Seropositivity and ctHPVDNA for Early Detection of Oropharyngeal Cancer (Army Medical Research, 2024-2027)
• Prophylactic Reinforcement of Ventral Abdominal Incisions Trial (PREVENT) (Becton Dickinson, 2020-2026)
• Tsumura: A Phase 2 Trial evaluating TU-100 for Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (Syneos Health LLC, 2022-2025)
• Colon Cancer Project (GI SPORE Alliance) at University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center (2021-2022)

Dr. Bhakta serves as Principal Investigator on multiple projects, including the Tsumura trial and the Colon Cancer Project, demonstrating his leadership in translational oncology research focused on improving surgical outcomes and addressing healthcare disparities.