Dr. Yahagi is a professor of medicine and director of the division of research and development for minimally invasive treatment at the Cancer Center, Keio University School of Medicine. He graduated from Niigata University in 1987 and joined to the University of Tokyo in 1990 as a faculty member. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo in 1998, where he also pioneered one of the original techniques of ESD. He served as director of gastroenterology and endoscopy at Toranomon Hospital for 5 years before joining Keio University in 2010. Dr. Yahagi is a leading figure in ESD development, inventing devices such as the Flex Knife, Dual Knife series, Flexlifter, and hemostatic forceps. He also developed novel therapeutic techniques including the water pressure method and the string clip suturing method. He has participated in many international conferences and live demonstrations as an invited faculty member around the world
