Sudha Vani Kilaru Kessler, M.D.
Associate Professor of Neurology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Program Director, Pediatric Epilepsy Fellowship, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia/University of Pennsylvania
Program Director, Child Neurology Residency, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Department: Neurology
Contact information
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
3400 Civic Center Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-590-1719
Fax: 215-590-1771
Fax: 215-590-1771
Email:
kesslers@email.chop.edu
kesslers@email.chop.edu
Education:
B.A. (English )
Yale University, 1996.
M.D.
Baylor College of Medicine, 2001.
MSCE (Clinical Epidemiology )
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, 2014.
B.A. (English )
Yale University, 1996.
M.D.
Baylor College of Medicine, 2001.
MSCE (Clinical Epidemiology )
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania, 2014.
Post-Graduate Training
Resident, General Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, 2001-2003.
Resident, Child Neurology, University of Pennsylvania/Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2003-2006.
Fellow, Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology, Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, 2006-2007.
Resident, General Pediatrics, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University, 2001-2003.
Resident, Child Neurology, University of Pennsylvania/Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 2003-2006.
Fellow, Epilepsy/Clinical Neurophysiology, Columbia Comprehensive Epilepsy Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, 2006-2007.
Certifications
American Board of Pediatrics, 2006.
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2007.
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology - Epilepsy, 2013.
Permanent linkAmerican Board of Pediatrics, 2006.
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, 2007.
American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology - Epilepsy, 2013.
Description of Research Expertise
Pediatric Epilepsy, EEG, Antiepileptic Drugs, Epilepsy Surgery, Clinical Epidemiology, Clinical Trials, Brain StimulationDescription of Clinical Expertise
Pediatric Epilepsy, EEG, Antiepileptic Drugs, Epilepsy Surgery, Ketogenic DietSelected Publications
Dennis Dlugos, Meryl Lozano, Bree DiVentura, Gail Farfel, Renée A. Shellhaas, Joseph E. Sullivan, Liu Lin Thio, Sudha Kilaru Kessler, Lynette G. Sadleir, Jacqueline French: Appropriate selection of participants in pediatric developmental and epileptic encephalopathy trials: Lessons learned and future opportunities. Epilepsia May 2025.Singh S, Armstrong C, Melamed S, Galligan K, Han M, Digiovine M, Kessler SK, Kennedy BC: Safety profile of intracranial neuromodulation for drug-resistant epilepsy in children. Journal of Neurosurgery May 2025 Notes: in press.
Tomlinson S, Galligan K, Kessler SK, Kennedy BC: Two-Year Outcomes Following Modified Transsylvian Peri-insular Hemispherotomy. Child's Nervous System 2025 Notes: in press.
Baumgartner ME, Kessler S, Franco AJ, Tomlinson SB, Kennedy BC: Transorbital intraoperative electrocorticography-guided surgical resection for medically refractory developmental epileptic encephalopathy with spike-wave activation in sleep. Epilepsy and Behavior Reports Sept 2024.
Kessler R, Fung FW, Patel A, Gupta N, McHugh T, Gonzalez AK, Rodan L, Harini C, Kessler SK.: Diagnostic Yield of CSF Testing in Infants for Disorders of Biogenic Amine Neurotransmitter Metabolism. Neurology 102(9), Apr 2024.
Fung FW, Parikh DS, Massey SL, Fitzgerald MP, Vala L, Donnelly M, Jacobwitz M, Kessler SK, Xiao R, Topjian AA, Abend NS.: Periodic Discharges in Critically Ill Children: Predictors and Outcome. J Clin Neurophysiol Dec 2023.
Moeller JM, Gonzalez-Giraldo E, Fung FW, Johnson EL, Kheder A, Maclean J, McGinnis EL, Mulhofer WG, Oster JM, Schmitt SE, Voinescu PE, Wong-Kisiel L, Kidd KJ, Kephart A, Lado FA, Kessler SK: Quality and Validity Evidence for a National In-Training Examination for Epilepsy Fellows Neurology Education Oct 2023.
Molisani SE, Parikh D, DiGiovine M, Dlugos D, Fitzgerald MP, Fried L, Helbig I, Kessler SK, McDonnell PP, Melamed S, Prelack MS, Sharif U, Tefft S, Tencer J, Witzman S, Shaw K, Abend NS.: A quality improvement initiative to improve folic acid supplementation counseling for adolescent females with epilepsy. Epilepsia 64(10): 2818-2826, Oct 2023.
Rodden LN, Rummey C, Kessler S, Wilson RB, Lynch DR.: A Novel Metric for Predicting Severity of Disease Features in Friedreich's Ataxia. Movement Disorders 38(6): 970-977, Jun 2023.
Tveit J, Aurlien H, Plis S, Calhoun VD, Tatum WO, Schomer DL, Arntsen V, Cox F, Fahoum F, Gallentine WB, Gardella E, Hahn CD, Husain AM, Kessler S, Kural MA, Nascimento F, Tankisi H, Ulvin, LB, Wennberg R, Beniczky S: Automated Interpretation of Clinical Electroencephalograms Using Artificial Intelligence. JAMA Neurology June 2023 Notes: doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2023.1645.