Philip H. G. Ituarte
Papers
4
Total Citations
153
H-Index
4
About
Philip H. G. Ituarte is a leading health services researcher whose work sits at the intersection of surgical oncology, health equity, and emerging medical technologies. His research critically examines how the rapid adoption of robotic surgery—particularly for gastrointestinal (GI) and lung cancers—impacts patient outcomes and, crucially, who gets access to these advanced procedures. Ituarte’s landmark study, “Robotic surgery trends in general surgical oncology from the National Inpatient Sample” (78 citations), established a foundational understanding of national adoption patterns. He further demonstrated that robotic approaches can maintain perioperative and oncologic safety for GI cancers (47 citations). However, his most impactful contribution lies in exposing systemic inequities: his work reveals that hospital-level factors strongly influence robotic use, and that poor, rural, and underinsured patients with lung cancer face significantly worse access to these cutting-edge treatments. This finding highlights a troubling paradox where technological advancement can actually widen existing disparities. By combining big-data analysis with a sharp focus on social determinants, Ituarte provides crucial evidence for policymakers and surgeons striving to ensure that the benefits of surgical innovation are distributed equitably across all populations.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Hospital factors strongly influence robotic use in general surgery20 citations · 2019
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