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Benjamin C. Kennedy, MD

Benjamin C. Kennedy, MD

Benjamin C. Kennedy, MD

Benjamin Kennedy, MD, is an attending neurosurgeon and the Director of Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery in the Division of Neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Areas of expertise: Epilepsy, Spasticity, Dystonia, Movement disorders, StereoEEG, Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, Deep brain stimulation, Functional neurosurgery, Brain tumors, Spine tumors, Complex spine, Endoscopic surgery, Spinal dysraphism, Chiari malformations

Locations: Main Building


215-590-2780

About Benjamin C. Kennedy, MD

The highest level of care comes from a multidisciplinary approach to any medical problem, and this is embraced wholeheartedly here at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In neurosurgery we collaborate closely with experts from every field of pediatric medicine and surgery. I have a broad interest in all aspects of pediatric neurosurgery, including epilepsy and functional neurosurgery, brain and spine tumors, congenital and traumatic spine surgery, and craniovertebral junction abnormalities. 

It is a great privilege to serve as Director of Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery at CHOP. In our Pediatric Regional Epilepsy Program, I have the pleasure of working with our epileptologists, neuroradiologists, neuropsychologists, social workers and pathologists to develop a highly personalized approach to each epilepsy patient. When a child’s epilepsy is not able to be controlled with medication, we formulate the most minimally invasive surgical plan to address the problem. We can avoid large operations for many children who require epilepsy surgery with a variety of techniques. These include robotic-assisted stereoEEG, which is percutaneous depth electrodes, for precise monitoring of the epileptic network and identification of the source of seizures. We use laser ablation for corpus callosotomy, hypothalamic hamartoma, mesial temporal sclerosis, or small, deep seizure sources. We employ purely disconnective techniques for hemispherotomy through a small craniotomy, and provide vagal nerve stimulators that do not require brain surgery at all. What inspires me is providing children and their families with the best possible seizure control while minimizing discomfort, and getting them back to their lives as quickly as possible. Our research is focused on understanding the complex interplay among epilepsy genetics, EEG, and clinical information to provide both better medical and surgical therapies. 

In our multidisciplinary cerebral palsy and spasticity clinics, I work with our rehabilitation doctors, physical and occupational therapists, neurologists, orthopaedists, social workers, neurophysiologists, nursing and other staff to develop a multi-faceted treatment plan for patients with spasticity, which sometimes involves neurosurgery, including selective dorsal rhizotomy or baclofen pump placement. In our deep brain stimulation program, I collaborate with our movement disorder neurologists to identify children with dystonia who will benefit from deep brain stimulation. When we are able to improve our patients’ control and function or help a child walk with these procedures, it is deeply gratifying. 

Titles

Director, Epilepsy and Functional Neurosurgery

Awards and Honors

2012, Arnold P. Gold Foundation Humanism & Excellence in Teaching Award
2009, Donald Palatucci Prize, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
2009, Peterson Scholarship, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
2007, Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship
2006, Student Success Network Teaching Award, Columbia University College of P & S
2005, NIH Medical Student Summer Research Grant
2002, Northwestern Alumni Association Scholastic Achievement Award
2002, Buntain Family Endowed Football Scholarship, Northwestern University

Editorial and Academic Positions

2016, Reviewer, Pediatric Neurosurgery
2015-present, Journal Oversight Committee, Journal of Graduate Medical Education

Education & training

Medical Degree

MD - Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY

Residency

Neurosurgery - Columbia University - New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY

Fellowship

Pediatric Neurosurgery - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA

Publications

Publications

Highlights

Baumgartner ME, Flanders TM, Madsen PJ, Tucker AM, Fung F, Kennedy BC. Burr Hole Hemispherotomy-Modification of Trans-Sylvian Peri-Insular Technique: 2-Dimensional Operative Video. Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2024 Jan 30. doi: 10.1227/ons.0000000000001074. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38289087.

Cameron Brimley, Vivek P Buch, Jared M Pisapia, Benjamin C Kennedy: Aventricular hemispherotomy: technical note. J Neurosurg Pediatr Aug 2020.

Karim Hafazalla, Sonia Ajmera, Adam Kundishora, William Katowitz, Benjamin C Kennedy: Transpalpebral Transorbital Approach for Pediatric Temporal Epilepsy: 2-Dimensional Operative Video. Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2024 Jul 2.

Rahman RK, Tomlinson SB, Katz J, Galligan K, Madsen PJ, Tucker AM, Kessler SK, Kennedy BC: Stereoelectroencephalography before 2 years of age. Neurosurg Focus. 2022 Oct;53(4):E3. doi: 10.3171/2022.7.FOCUS22336.

Baumgartner ME, Atallah E, Galligan K, McDonnell P, Kennedy BC. Endoscopic trans-ventricular "inside-out" corpus callosotomy: illustrative case. J Neurosurg Case Lessons, 2024.

Joshua Katz, Caren Armstrong, Svetlana Kvint, Benjamin C. Kennedy: Stereoelectroencephalography in the very young: Case report. Epilepsy Behav Rep May 2022.

2024

Karim Hafazalla, Sonia Ajmera, Adam Kundishora, William Katowitz, Benjamin C Kennedy: Transpalpebral Transorbital Approach for Pediatric Temporal Epilepsy: 2-Dimensional Operative Video. Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2024 Jul 2.

Baumgartner ME, Flanders TM, Madsen PJ, Tucker AM, Fung F, Kennedy BC. Burr Hole Hemispherotomy-Modification of Trans-Sylvian Peri-Insular Technique: 2-Dimensional Operative Video. Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2024 Jan 30. doi: 10.1227/ons.0000000000001074. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38289087.

Baumgartner ME, Atallah E, Galligan K, McDonnell P, Kennedy BC. Endoscopic trans-ventricular "inside-out" corpus callosotomy: illustrative case. J Neurosurg Case Lessons, 2024.

2023

Baumgartner ME, Lang SS, Tucker AM, Madsen PJ, Storm PB, Kennedy BC. Systematic review and cumulative analysis of clinical properties of BRAF V600E mutations in PLNTY histological samples. Childs Nerv Syst. Dec 2023.

Elsa V Arocho-Quinones, Sean M Lew, Michael H Handler, Zulma Tovar-Spinoza, Matthew D Smyth, Robert J Bollo, David Donahue, M Scott Perry, Michael Levy, David Gonda, Francesco T Mangano, Benjamin C Kennedy, Phillip B Storm, Angela V Price, Daniel E Couture, Chima Oluigbo, Ann-Christine Duhaime, Gene H Barnett, Carrie R Muh, Michael D Sather, Aria Fallah, Anthony C Wang, Sanjiv Bhatia, Daniel Eastwood, Sergey Tarima, Sarah Graber, Sean Huckins, Daniel Hafez, Kavelin Rumalla, Laurie Bailey, Sabrina Shandley, Ashton Roach, Erin Alexander, Wendy Jenkins, Deki Tsering, George Price, Antonio Meola, Wendi Evanoff, Eric M Thompson, Nicholas Brandmeir; Pediatric Stereotactic Laser Ablation Workgroup. Magnetic resonance imaging-guided stereotactic laser ablation therapy for the treatment of pediatric epilepsy: a retrospective multiinstitutional study. J Neurosurg Pediatr. Mar 2023.

2022

Rahman RK, Tomlinson SB, Katz J, Galligan K, Madsen PJ, Tucker AM, Kessler SK, Kennedy BC: Stereoelectroencephalography before 2 years of age. Neurosurg Focus. 2022 Oct;53(4):E3. doi: 10.3171/2022.7.FOCUS22336.

Yi Zhou, Yijing Su, Shiying Li, Benjamin C. Kennedy, Daniel Y. Zhang, Allison M. Bond, Yusha Sun, Fadi Jacob, Lu Lu, Peng Hu, Angela N. Viaene, Ingo Helbig, Sudha K. Kessler, Timothy Lucas, Ryan D. Salinas, Xiaosong Gu, H. Isaac Chen, Hao Wu, Joel E. Kleinman, Thomas M. Hyde, David W. Nauen, Daniel R. Weinberger, Guo-li Ming & Hongjun Song: Molecular landscapes of human hippocampal immature neurons across lifespan. Nature Jul 2022.

Joshua Katz, Caren Armstrong, Svetlana Kvint, Benjamin C. Kennedy: Stereoelectroencephalography in the very young: Case report. Epilepsy Behav Rep May 2022.

2021

Kennedy BC, Katz J, Lepard J, Blount J: Variation in Pediatric Stereoelectroencephalography Practice Among Pediatric Neurosurgeons in the United States-Survey Results. J Neurosurg Pediatr Page: 1-9, Jun 2021.

2020

Cameron Brimley, Vivek P Buch, Jared M Pisapia, Benjamin C Kennedy: Aventricular hemispherotomy: technical note. J Neurosurg Pediatr Aug 2020.

Fabian Munoz, Greg Jensen, Benjamin C Kennedy, Yelda Alkan, Herbert S Terrace, Vincent P Ferrera: Learned Representation of Implied Serial Order in Posterior Parietal Cortex. Sci Rep 10(1): 9386, Jun 2020.

2019

Heuer GG, Madsen PJ, Flanders TM, Kennedy BC, Storm PB, Taylor JA. Separation of Craniopagus Twins by a Multidisciplinary Team. N Engl J Med. 2019 Jan 24;380(4):358-364. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1805132.

Tomlinson SB, Wong JN, Conrad EC, Kennedy BC, Marsh ED: Reproducibility of interictal spike propagation in children with refractory epilepsy. Epilepsia 60(5): 898-910, May 2019.

2016

Kennedy BC, Kelly KM, Anderson RCE, Feldstein NA. Isolated thoracic syrinx in children with Chiari I malformation. Childs Nerv Syst, 2016 Mar;32(3):531-4.

Kennedy BC, Brown LT, Komotar RJ, McKhann GM. Stereotactic catheter placement for Ommaya reservoirs: A large single-center series. J Clin Neurosci, 2016, May;27:44-7.

2015

Kennedy BC, D’Amico RS, Youngerman BE, McDowell MM, Hooten KG, Couture D, Jea A, Leonard J, Lew S, Pincus D, Rodriguez L, Tuite GF, DiLuna M, Brockmeyer DL, Anderson RCE. Long-term growth and alignment after occipitocervical and atlantoaxial fusion with rigid internal fixation in young children. J Neurosurg Pediatr, 2015 Oct 9:1-9.

Kennedy BC, Nelp TB, Kelly KM, Phan MQ, Bruce SS, McDowell MM, Feldstein NA, Anderson RCE. Delayed resolution of syrinx after posterior fossa decompression without dural opening in children with Chiari I malformation. J Neurosurg Pediatr, 2015 Aug 28:1-8.

Kennedy BC, Brown LT, Komotar RJ, McKhann GM. Frameless stereotactic Ommaya reservoir placement: efficacy and complication comparison with frame-based technique. Stereot Funct Neuros, 2015, 93(6):418-8.

Goldstein HE, Kennedy BC, Anderson RCE, Feldstein NA. “Bilateral occipital endoscopic choroid plexus cauterization for persistent hydrocephalus following frontal endoscopic third ventriculostomy and choroid plexus cauterization - The "Bowling Ball" technique.” Childs Nerv Syst, 2015 Oct 12.

Kennedy BC, Kelly KM, Phan MQ, Bruce SS, McDowell MM, Anderson RC, Feldstein NA. Outcomes after suboccipital decompression without dural opening in children with Chiari malformation type I. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2015 May 1:1-9.

Kennedy BC, Cloney MB, Anderson RCE, Feldstein NA. Superior parietal lobule approach for choroid plexus papillomas without preoperative embolization in very young children. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2015 Apr 10:1-6.

Surapaneni K, Kennedy BC, Yanagihara TK, DeLaPaz R, Bruce JN. Early cerebral blood volume changes predict progression after convection-enhanced delivery of topotecan for recurrent malignant glioma. World Neurosurg. 2015 Mar 12.

2014

Kennedy BC, McDowell MM, Yang PH, Wilson C, Li S, Hankinson TC, Feldstein NA, Anderson RC. Pial synangiosis for moyamoya syndrome in children with sickle cell anemia: a comprehensive review of reported cases. Neurosurg Focus. 2014 Jan 36(1).

D’Amico R, Kennedy BC, Bruce JN. Neurosurgical Oncology: Advances in operative technologies and adjuncts. J Neurooncol. 2014 Jun 27.

Sonabend A, Basnal M, Guarnieri P, Lei L, Amendolara B, Soderquist C, Leung R, Yun J, Kennedy B, et al. The transcriptional regulatory network of proneural glioma determines the genetic alterations selected during tumor progression. Cancer Res. 2014 Mar 1;74(5).

2013

Kennedy BC, Showers CR, Anderson DE, Anderson L, Canoll PC, Bruce JN, Anderson RC. Tumor-associated macrophages in glioma: Friend or Foe? J Oncol. 2013 May 8.

Anderson R, Kennedy B, Yanes C, Garvin J, Needle M, Canoll P, Feldstein N, Bruce J. Convection-enhanced delivery of topotecan into diffuse intrinsic brainstem tumors in children: Report of two cases. J Neurosurg Pediatr. 2013 Mar; 11(3):289-95.

2012

D’Amico R, Lei L, Kennedy BC, Sisti J, Ebiana V, Crisman C, Christensen JG, Gil O, Rosenfeld S, Canoll P, Bruce JN. The addition of Sunitinib to radiation delays tumor growth in a murine model of glioblastoma. Neurol Res. 2012 Apr;34(3):252-61

2011

Kennedy BC, Shimato S, Anderson RCE, Bruce JN. Defining the mechanisms of CD8 T cell tumor tolerance. Immunotherapy. 2011 Jan;3(1):23-6.

Kennedy BC, Bruce JN. Surgical approaches to the pineal region. Neurosurgical Clinics of North America, 2011 Jul.

Yanagihara TK, Kennedy B, Surapaneni K, Bruce JN. Power in quantitative diffusion MRI of tumor response strategies for future studies. Acad Radiol. 2011 Dec 15.

Bruce JN, Fine RL, Canoll P, Yun JP, Kennedy BC, Rosenfeld SS, Sands SA, Lai R, Yanes CL, Bagiella E, DeLaPaz RL. Regression of recurrent malignant gliomas with topotecan by convection-enhanced delivery. Neurosurgery, 2011 May 10.

2009

Kennedy BC, Maier LM, D’Amico R, Mandigo CE, Fontana EJ, Waziri A, Assanah MC, Canoll P, Anderson RC, Anderson DE, Bruce JN. Dynamics of central and peripheral immunomodulation in a murine glioma model. BMC Immunol. 2009 Feb 18; 10:11.

Lectures by Invitation

2017

Kennedy B, et al. “Neurosurgery Resident Well-Being” Invited Oral Presentation, American Association of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting, 2017, L.A., CA

2016

Kennedy B, et al. “Neurosurgery Resident Well-Being” Invited Oral Presentation, Society of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting, 2016, Indianapolis, IN

2015

Kennedy B, et al. “Isolated Thoracic Syrinx in Children with Chiari I Malformation” Poster, CNS/AANS Joint Section on Pediatric Neurosurgery Annual Meeting, 2015, Seattle, WA

Kennedy B. “Life in the Next Accreditation System: A Resident’s Perspective.” Invited Oral Presentation, Society of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting, 2015, Miami, FL

Kennedy B, et al. “Delayed Resolution of Syrinx After Posterior Fossa Decompression Without Dural Opening in Children with Chiari I Malformation” Oral Presentation, Congress of Neurological Surgeons Annual Meeting, 2015, New Orleans, LA

Books

Chapters

2022

Sinha, S., Kennedy, B.C., Heuer, G.G., Huh, J.W., Lang, SS. (2022). Pediatric Head Injury. In: Mattei, P. (eds) Fundamentals of Pediatric Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07524-7_18

 

Burr Hole Hemispherotomy-Modification of Trans-Sylvian Peri-Insular Technique: 2-Dimensional Operative Video

Trans-sylvian peri-insular hemispherotomy represents a functional hemispherectomy with minimal brain removal used for treatment of refractory hemispheric epilepsy.

Learn more about this groundbreaking surgical publication

Aventricular hemispherotomy

Hemispheric disconnection in the form of hemispherectomy or hemispherotomy is the most effective way of treating intractable hemispheric epilepsy.

Read the full publication from Dr. Kennedy and team

Patient experience rating

(based on 62 submissions)

  • Clear Explanation
    4.9 of 5
  • Showed Concern
    4.8 of 5
  • Included in decisions
    4.9 of 5
  • Would recommend
    4.9 of 5
  • Discussion of Proposed Treatment
    4.8 of 5
Learn about the patient experience rating system

Comments

  • For such a scary overwhelming experience, deciding brain surgery for our child, we could not have better care!

    5 of 5
    Apr 27, 2024
  • Our experience with Dr. Kennedy was phenomenal. This is a very difficult time for all of us, but Dr. Kennedy was very explanatory, caring, thorough, and detailed. Things were explained and presented to us in ways that we were able to fully comprehend. His recommendations were perfectly aligned with the tests and images we were able to view also.

    5 of 5
    Feb 26, 2024
  • Dr. Kennedy goes above and beyond to make his patients and their parents feel supported, listened to, and encouraged in the decisions that are being made about care. From our son to our family, he has taken care to make sure that we never leave the office with unanswered questions, regardless of how much time that may take. We have never felt rushed in our appointments and have consistently felt as if no questions were off limits and were met with answers and encouragement to always seek him out for anything we may need to know. He has made our son feel so comfortable in his care, there was never a moment where our son didn't feel like he was allowed to ask a question or discuss his care. One thing Is certain, we will be forever indebted to Dr. Kennedy for his excellent care and unwavering dedication to his field. He's the reason our son made it through surgery with the best possible outcome and a bright future ahead.

    5 of 5
    Jan 29, 2024
  • Dr. Kennedy was very thorough with answering all of our questions in a way that was understandable for us and our son to understand. He was sensitive to our concerns and had a great rapport with our son throughout the appointment which put him at ease with the upcoming sEEG procedure.

    5 of 5
    Sep 25, 2023
  • The level of time and care in answering our many questions is so greatly appreciated. Everything was explained in detail, along with imaging in order to help us understand best.

    5 of 5
    Jun 27, 2023
  • Coming into a visit as serious as a neurosurgery visit caused both my husband, mother and I much anxiety. Dr. Kennedy and our care team were incredibly empathetic to our feelings and Dr. Kennedy was exceptionally focused on us, answering every single question we had and never rushing us through explanations. He was attentive and thoroughly and understandably walked us through test results, treatment recommendations and next steps, never minding that we went beyond our scheduled visit time. Kelsey Dixon, our nurse advocate, was so very understanding and calming as she helped us navigate upcoming visits with other specialists and next steps.

    5 of 5
    Jun 24, 2023
  • Dr. Kennedy was able to answer any doubts Dad had regarding an upcoming surgery.

    5 of 5
    Apr 08, 2023
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About the Patient Experience Rating System

The Patient Experience Rating is an average of all responses to the care provider related questions shown above from our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. Patients that are treated in outpatient or hospital environments may receive different surveys, and the volume of responses will vary by question. Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score. We are committed to true transparency. However, to ensure the comments are fair and correctly attributed, we review each one before posting to the website. We exclude entire comments that disclose patient’s protected health information, are off-topic, or include other confidential or inappropriate content. Comments will appear on provider bios only if providers have a minimum number of comments. Comments are shared internally for education purposes to ensure that we are doing our very best for the patients and families for whom we are privileged to care. The comments are submitted by patients and families and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not reflect the views of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

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