Christopher P Kellner, MD

I was born in New York and grew up in Boston. Some patients who are sports fans find that to be a non-starter. I moved back to New York for medical school, though, and now consider myself to be a New Yorker through and through. I became interested in neuroscience during college at Harvard, inspired by the beauty and complexity of the nervous system and the experiences of patients with neurologic disease. Then in medical school at Columbia, I gravitated toward neurosurgery because of the rigorous training required to master its operations, my inspiring surgical mentors in the field, and the ability to make a real difference in patients’ lives inside and outside of the operating room.

In the Cerebrovascular Center in the Department of Neurosurgery at Mount Sinai, I have had the privilege of collaborating with an exceptional, internationally-renowned group of clinicians and researchers who are devoted to improving the lives of our patients. Our most important mission is to ensure that each person we see receives compassionate, individualized, and expert care. This has given me the opportunity to offer the best available treatments to my patients including cutting-edge treatment with new devices and techniques or participation in select clinical trials when appropriate.

My clinical practice focuses on patients who are found to have aneurysms, vascular malformations (including AVMs, cavernous malformations, and dural AV fistulas), moyamoya disease, carotid stenosis, chronic subdural hematomas, pseudotumor cerebrii (also called idiopathic intracranial hypertension), and pulsatile tinnitus. Most of the time, these problems do not require surgery and can be followed by repeating imaging studies like MRI, CT, or ultrasound. I always review the data-driven risks and benefits of observation versus surgery with every patient and their loved ones.

As the Director of the Intracerebral Hemorrhage Program at Mount Sinai, I have had the privilege of working with experts who devote their careers to patients with hemorrhagic stroke throughout the continuum of care, from the emergency room when the bleeding first occurs, to the operating room if needed, to the neurorehabilitation unit and beyond. Together, my colleagues and I have developed a novel minimally invasive treatment for removing brain hemorrhages called the SCUBA technique which many centers around the world are now using. We have also initiated an Enhanced Stroke Recovery Program in collaboration with the Department for Rehabilitation and Human Performance to offer Vagus Nerve Stimulation for patients recovering from stroke. Finally, we have developed a post-stroke monitoring program called the Precision Recovery Program, which uses a digital health mobile application and care platform that we developed at Mount Sinai to keep our patients connected to the care team, help them prevent a second stroke, and maximize their recovery.
 

Most importantly, I care deeply about developing a relationship with every patient based on trust and an agreement that I will do everything possible to help my patients live their lives to the fullest whether they are contemplating surgery for a newly discovered problem or recovering from a sudden, unexpected stroke.

In the News

Christopher Kellner, MD is a Dedicated Mentor to Students of all Levels (Fox News)

Christopher Kellner, MD is a PI of a Multicentered Trial, Evaluating New Technology, Cerebrotech Visor, to Detect and Triage Stroke (CBS News)

Christopher Kellner, MD is Co-Director to Mount Sinai's Remote Coronavirus Monitoring (Fox News)