Dr. Jay Bhatt, DO, MPH, MPA

Media Releases

Get to know Internist & Geriatrician Dr. Jay Bhatt, who serves patients in Chicago, Illinois.

Dr. Bhatt is a primary care internist & geriatrician committed to care delivery innovation, advancing health equity, and providing care to vulnerable populations. 

Passionate about patient care, he practices medicine at local community health centers in the Chicagoland area while serving in his leadership role at the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and the Deloitte Health Equity Institute. In this role, he directs the research, insights, and eminence agenda across the life sciences and health care industry while driving high impact research and collaborations to advance health equity.

A man of many titles, Dr. Bhatt is the Founder and Principal of JDB Strategies, a health equity and innovation consulting firm, a faculty member at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, an ABC News Medical Contributor, a physician executive, a public health innovator, and a widely quoted expert on the most pressing challenges and exciting opportunities in health care. These include cross-sector initiatives; the application of predictive analytics and informatics; using Medicare and Medicaid as opportunities to redesign the healthcare system; addressing the social determinants of health to lower costs, improve outcomes, and eliminate inequities; technology innovation; and emergency preparedness.

As a physician executive, Dr. Bhatt’s innovative initiatives have helped hospitals deliver safer, smarter and better care; made doctors more skilled and responsive to patients; and helped governments across sectors impact health outcomes and the health of communities. These accomplishments have been informed by his earliest positions practicing internal medicine and geriatrics in underserved communities at the Erie Family Health Center on Chicago’s Northwest Side and as the managing deputy commissioner and chief innovation officer for the Chicago Department of Public Health. Through hard work and fresh ideas, he became a trusted community leader and eventually was able to bring the voice of those patients to the Illinois Hospital Association and American Hospital Association (AHA) as a senior executive.

At the AHA, he served as vice president and chief medical officer and led several AHA subsidiaries as president and CEO. These included the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity, which addresses barriers to receiving adequate care, and the Health Research & Educational Trust, which trains medical professionals and encourages research into the quality, cost, and equality of healthcare.

Also, while at the AHA, Dr. Bhatt’s efforts were focused on working with healthcare and technology companies to help hospitals develop and drive innovation. As part of this, he helped develop and deployed major AHA initiatives, including Age-Friendly Health Systems to improve the health of people at every stage of life; the AHA Physician Alliance, a community for physicians and hospitals to collaborate; and the government-sponsored Hospital Improvement Innovation Network, engaging over 1600 hospitals in 34 states to improve quality and patient safety. 

Before joining the AHA, Dr. Bhatt served as the first chief health officer of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, where he launched the organization’s Hospital Engagement Network to improve quality and safety. He launched a physician leadership academy, led a statewide zero-harm initiative, and headed an IHA regional patient safety organization.

As the Chicago Department of Public Health’s managing deputy commissioner, he implemented Healthy Chicago, the city’s public health agenda. Under his guidance, the department was recognized internationally for using predictive analytics and machine learning to target food-safety hotspots; improve their approach to inspections; reduce lead exposure and chronic disease; and strengthen the culture of safety and continuous improvement.

Educated in the United States, Dr. Bhatt earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago, a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Illinois Chicago; and a Master of Public Administration degree in Health Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government as a Zuckerman and Commonwealth Fund Minority Health Policy Fellow.

As for his training, he completed a residency and clinical fellowship at Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Board-certified in internal medicine and geriatrics, the doctor is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM). The ABIM is a physician-led, non-profit, independent evaluation organization driven by doctors who want to achieve higher standards for better care in a rapidly changing world.

Holding fellowship status, Dr. Bhatt is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians (FACP).

Internal medicine is the medical specialty dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases. Physicians specializing in internal medicine are called internists. They manage and prevent common and complex diseases by providing comprehensive care and promoting overall well-being.

Recognized for thought leadership and clarity in his remarks and writings on systemic healthcare issues, Dr. Bhatt has spoken at South by Southwest, the National Academy of Medicine, HLTH Create Health’s Future and the Aspen Ideas Festival, and has been published in Academic Medicine, the American Journal of Public Health, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association. His comments and viewpoints have appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox News, Modern Healthcare, Becker’s Hospital Review, HuffPost, and HealthLeaders.

Having earned the attention of top media outlets seeking his expertise, Dr. Bhatt has received many honors over the years. He was an Aspen Health Innovator Fellow and a Presidential Leadership Scholar; was named to 40 Under 40 lists by Crain’s Chicago Business, the National Minority Quality Forum, MedTech Boston and Becker’s Healthcare, where he was a Rising Star; and received UIC School of Public Health’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award and National Medical Fellowships Champions of Health Award.  

Known to his patients as the “dancing doctor,” Dr. Bhatt teaches dance classes, participates in fitness programs, and enjoys Chicago’s lively restaurant scene with his family and friends. He also enjoys podcasts & nonfiction reading on leadership and autobiographies.

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