Media Release
Udupi, May 7: Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Anil K Bhat as the new dean of Kasturba Medical College (KMC), Manipal, effective May 1.
A distinguished clinician, academician, and administrator, Dr Bhat brings over two decades of excellence in orthopaedics, hand surgery, research, and medical education.
Welcoming the appointment, Lt Gen (Dr) M D Venkatesh, vice chancellor, MAHE, said, “Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, is one of our flagship institutions with a proud legacy of excellence in education, clinical care, and research.
Dr Anil Bhat’s appointment as dean reflects our commitment to visionary leadership rooted in academic rigour and innovation. We are confident that under his stewardship, KMC will continue to advance as a centre of excellence nationally and globally.”
Currently associate dean and professor & head of hand surgery at KMC, Dr Bhat holds an MBBS from Bangaluru Medical College and an MS in orthopaedics from KMC Manipal (1999), along with a DNB in orthopaedics. His career at KMC began in 1999, progressing through key roles such as head of the department of orthopaedics (2014–2019) and associate dean (since 2019). He established the department of hand surgery and the M Ch hand surgery programme, one of only three in India.
A nationally and internationally recognised expert, Dr Bhat has led innovations in wrist surgery, arthroscopy, congenital deformity correction, and AI-integrated diagnostics. He developed numerous surgical techniques and 14 anthropometric datasets for the Indian population. He also launched a national registry for congenital hand anomalies and spearheaded the creation of a 3D printing prosthetics facility a first in Indian medical colleges at the Artificial Limb Centre through ‘Hastha: Centre for congenital hand differences’.
Dr Bhat has authored over 130 peer-reviewed publications, served as chief editor of the journal of orthopaedic trauma and reconstruction, and held editorial roles in global journals including the journal of hand surgery (Asia Pacific) and annals of plastic surgery. He has mentored 41 postgraduate dissertations and 7 PhD scholars and contributed to national curricula as a key member of the Indian Society for Surgery of the Hand (ISSH). His book, cases in orthopaedics, is a widely used academic resource.
He has delivered 400+ invited lectures at forums such as IFSSH, ASSH, BSSH, and APFSSH, and conducted numerous workshops, training hundreds of surgeons across the globe.
Dr Bhat’s appointment marks a new chapter in KMC Manipal’s pursuit of academic and clinical leadership.