Highlights
Age Groups Seen
- Adult
Languages
- Japanese
- English
Gender
MaleAbout Jota Nakano
Biography
Jota Nakano, MD, PhD, is a staff surgeon in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery of the Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute. He sees patients and performs surgery at Mercy Hospital.
Specialty Interests: Adult cardiac surgery; coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG); aortic/mitral/tricuspid valve repair and replacement; surgery of the aorta; left ventricular assist device (LVAD), temporary (Impella) and durable; extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); heart transplantation
Experience: Dr. Nakano has more than 20 years’ experience as a heart surgeon. Over the course of his career, he has participated in more than 3,000 cardiac procedures, including heart transplant, LVAD implantation and mitral valve repair.
Dr. Nakano is certified by the Japanese boards of cardiovascular surgery and general surgery.
Success Rates: Cleveland Clinic is nationally and internationally renowned for its cardiovascular care. Learn more about our outcomes and statistics
Education: Dr. Nakano earned his doctorate in medicine and his PhD from Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. He completed residencies in general surgery and cardiovascular surgery and a clinical fellowship in cardiovascular surgery at Kokura Memorial Hospital, Kitakyushu, Japan. He joined the medical staff there on completion of his fellowship.
Dr. Nakano continued his training in the United States with cardiac surgery fellowships at Intermountain Medical Center, Murray, Utah, and Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago. At Bluhm he was an advanced fellow first in cardiac valve surgery and then as a member of the acute mechanical circulatory support and cardiac transplantation teams.
He remained at Northwestern University another four years as a clinical instructor before returning to Japan in 2020 to accept a position as surgical director of the heart failure and TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) programs at Kurashiki Central Hospital, Kurashiki. He joined the Cleveland Clinic medical staff in 2023.
Research, Publications and Speaking: Dr. Nakano has participated in numerous clinical studies related to cardiac surgery patient outcomes, particularly outcomes after TAVR. His laboratory research interests include dilated cardiomyopathy and tissue engineering.
He has coauthored numerous research papers published in leading peer-reviewed cardiothoracic surgery journals as well as a chapter on endovascular aortic repair in a medical textbook. Dr. Nakano also has presented his clinical and laboratory research at prestigious cardiothoracic surgery symposiums and meetings in the United States and Japan.
About Dr. Nakano: “I enjoy heart surgery because I can make a significant impact on patients' lives. I have learned surgical skills from my mentors and will continue to learn so I am able to serve as many people as possible. I consider it a true privilege to help people with many different types of heart conditions.”
Leisure Activities: In his leisure time, Dr. Nakano enjoys spending time with his family and cooking.
Locations
- Mercy Hospital Medical Office Building
- 1330 Mercy Drive Northwest, Canton, OH 44708
- Get Directions
Education & Board Certifications
Education
- Fellowship: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 2016
- Fellowship: Intermountain Medical Center, 2014
- Residency: Kokura Memorial Hospital, 2004
- Medical Education: Kyoto University, 1998
Board Certifications
- Cardiac Surgery: The Japanese Board of Cardiovascular Surgery, 2010
Research & Publications
See publications for this provider. (Disclaimer: This search is powered by PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed is a third-party website with no affiliation with Cleveland Clinic.)
Industry Relationships
Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists collaborate with industry to advance medical breakthroughs. These partnerships help commercialize discoveries for public benefit while maintaining scientific integrity. To ensure transparency and minimize potential bias, Cleveland Clinic reviews these relationships and publicly discloses when physicians/scientists receive significant compensation for consulting, serve in fiduciary roles, receive royalties, or hold equity interests related to their work. We manage potential conflicts through approval processes, annual reporting, and targeted management plans.
As of 2025-09-24, Dr. Nakano has reported no financial relationship with industry that is applicable to this listing.
In general, patients should feel free to contact their doctor about any of the relationships and how the relationships are overseen by Cleveland Clinic. To learn more about Cleveland Clinic's policies on collaborations with industry and innovation management, go to our Integrity in Innovation page.
Public Health Service-Reportable Financial Conflicts of Interest. Cleveland Clinic scientists and physicians engage in basic, translational and clinical research activities, working to solve health problems, enhance patient care and improve quality of life for patients. Interactions with industry are essential to bringing the researchers' discoveries to the public, but can present the potential for conflicts of interest related to their research activities. Click here to view a listing of instances where Cleveland Clinic has identified a Public Health Service (PHS)-Reportable Financial Conflict of Interest and has put measures in place to ensure that, to the extent possible, the design, conduct and reporting of the research is free from bias.
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Insurances Accepted
Ratings & Reviews
4.9 out of 5
55 ratings, 1 reviewThe Patient Satisfaction Rating is an average of all responses to the care provider related questions shown below from our survey. Patients that are treated in outpatient or hospital environments may receive different surveys, and the volume of responses will vary by question.
- 5 out of 5 starsReviewed on 1/14/2026
I did not actually see the doctor during my visit due to him running behind schedule and there was a delay.