Christopher Rassekh - Faculty Biosketch

Christopher Rassekh, M.D., FACS

Professor of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery

Director of Sialendoscopy Program, Penn Medicine

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Department: Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery

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46 Contact information
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Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
3d University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Email:
christopher.rassekh@uphs.upenn.edu

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13 Education:
21 7 BS 1c (General Science) c
3a University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1982.
21 7 MD c
4e University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, IA, 1986.
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1f Post-Graduate Training
24 62 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Otology Laboratory, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics 1b , 1986-1987.
24 53 Internship in General Surgery, Butterworth Hospital, Michigan State University 1b , 1987-1988.
24 49 Resident in Otolaryngology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics 1b , 1988-1992.
24 5c Fellow in Advanced Head & Neck Oncologic/Cranial Base Surgery, University of Pittsburgh 1b , 1992-1993.
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17 Certifications
28 76 Diplomate, Joint Council for Approval of Advanced Training in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery, 1993.
28 44 Diplomate, American Board of Otolaryngology, 1993.
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3 8d Permanent link
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b6 > Perelman School of Medicine > Faculty > Details a

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Description of Clinical Expertise

27 Head and Neck Oncology
1d Cranial Base Surgery
22 Minimally Invasive Surgery
22 Organ Preservation Surgery
17 Neck Dissection
1e Salivary Gland Surgery
23 Difficult Airway Management
30 Palliative Care for Head and Neck Cancer
32 Endocrine Surgery (thyroid and parathyroid)
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Description of Other Expertise

41 Cycling and Multisport (Triathlon and Aquabike)-
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4f I am very experienced cyclist and have experience in sports performance
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1d Speak French Fluently
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3b Read and Understand Spanish for Health Professionals
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Description of Research Expertise

25 Research Experience:
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23 Small Animal Model Research
23 Cadaveric Surgical Research
3e Basic Immunology Techniques for Translational Research
3e Interpreting Basic Science for Translational Research
3d Basic Outcomes Data Research/ Quality of Life Studies
30 Clinical Research on Surgical Innovation
9c (especially minimally invasive salivary gland surgery, organ preservation surgery, minimally invasive cranial base and pharyngeal/laryngeal surgery)
24 Clinical Research on Imaging
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22 Current Research Projects:
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53 Sialendoscopy database and Hybrid Approaches to Submandibular Gland Surgery
1f Level I neck dissection
3e Radiographically Enhanced Clinical Airway Tool (REACT)
51 Surgical Managemet and Clinical Approaches to Parapharyngeal Space Tumors
54 Cartilaginous and Osseous Tumors (Chondrosarcoma, Chordoma and Osteosarcoma)
49 Endoscopic (Robotic) and Open Organ Preservation Surgery Analysis
27 HPV-related Oropharyngeal Cancer
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Selected Publications

15e Okolo, Ogoegbunam; Benson, Jalen, Wardlow, Robert, Fowler, Jason, Rassekh, CH.: The Work Up of Head and Neck Masses - for the Hospitalist/Internist. Otolaryngology for the Hospitalist Issue of Medical Clinics of North America. In Press, April 2025 (eds.). Elsevier, 110, 2025.

a8 Vimawala SN, Graboyes AZ, Bennett B, Bonanni M. Abbasi A, Oliphant T. Alonso-Basanta M. Rassekh C.Cohen D, Brant JA, Huan Y. 2 9a : Head and Neck Paragangliomas: Overview of Institutional Experience. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Apr 16;16(8):1523, doi: 10.3390/cancers 16081523. 2c PMID: 38672605 Apr 2024.

19f Hoffman HT, Koch M, Witt RL, Ryan WR, Zenk J, Katz P, Rahmati R, Rassekh C, Donato F. McCulloch TM, Joshi AS, Chang JL, Gillespie MB, Pichardo PFA, Orloff LA, Marcelino A. Wenzel P. Cohen D. Fundakowski CE, Cognetti DM, Walvekar RR, Bertelli A, Quon H, Anderson C, Policeni B, Siegel G.: Proposal for standardized ultrasound analysis of the salivary glands: Part 1 18 2 submandibular gland. 2 2 6f Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2024 Feb 14:9(1):e1224, doi: 10.1002/lio2.1224. eCollection 2024 Feb. 20 PMID: 2024.

df Tondi-Resta I, Hobday SB, Gubbiotti MA, Jalaly JB, Rassekh CH, Montone KM, Baloch ZW. : Carcinoma Ex Pleomorphic Adenomas: An Institutional Experience and Literature Review 2 17 Am J Clin Pathol 1e Mar 2023.

bd Hobday SB, Mady LJ, Jacobson AM, Rassekh CH.: CIC-DUX4 Sarcoma Involving the Skull Base: A Rare Presentation and Review of the Literature. 2 66 J Neurol Surg Rep. 2023 Oct 13;84(4):e124-e128. doi: 10.1055/a-2166-5688. eCollection 2023 Oct. 29 PMID: 37842548 2023.

97 Brenner MJ, Brodsky MB, Rassekh CH. : Reassessing Endotracheal Tube Size in Critically Ill Patients. 2 2 71 Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2023 Feb 1;149(2):188. doi: 10.1001/jamaoto.2022.4273. 2023.

2dc Saleh S, Sullivan SE, Bellile E, Roxbury C, Das P, Hachem RA, Ackall F, Jang D, Celtikci E, Sahin MM, D'souza G, Evans JJ, Nyquist G, Khalafallah A, Mukherjee D, Rowan NR, Camp S, Choby G, Gompel JJV, Ghiam MK, Levine CG, Field M, Adappa N, Locke TB, Rassekh C, Sweis AM, Goyal N, Zacharia B, Wilson MN, Patel S, Gardner PA, Snyderman CH, Wang EW, Glancz LJ, Bagchi A, Dow G, Robertson I, Rangarajan SV, Michael LM 2nd, McKean EL: Retrospective Review of Surgical Site Infections after Endoscopic Endonasal Sellar and Parasellar Surgery: Multicenter Quality Data from the North American Skull Base Society. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base 83(6): 579-588, Aug 2022.

f6 Badash I, Raskin J, Pei M, Soldatova L, Rassekh C: Contemporary Review of Submandibular Gland Sialolithiasis and Surgical Management Options. Cureus 14(8): e28147, Aug 2022.

126 Douglas JE, Wen CZ, Thomas WW, Elrakhawy M, Rassekh CH: Management of Chronic Sialadenitis due to Sjogren's Syndrome and Radioactive Iodine Therapy Using Sialendoscopy. ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec 11: 1-5, Jul 2022.

fc McCarty BS, Bosso JV, Rassekh CH: A rare case of allergic sialadenitis successfully treated with dupilumab and sialendoscopy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 128(6): 726-727, Jun 2022.

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26 Last updated: 06/02/2025
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