Jeffrey P. Greenfield, MD, PhD
Pediatric Neurosurgeon
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Areas of Expertise
My Specialties
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Pediatric Brain Tumors
- Neuroendoscopy
Meet Pediatric Neurosurgeon Jeffrey Greenfield
Video DetailsAbout Me
- Associate Attending Neurosurgeon
I am pediatric neurosurgeon on the MSK Kids team who has advanced training in caring for patients with brain and spine tumors. My goal is the compassionate care of children paired with leading scientific advances in these tumors.
I have special expertise caring for children with astrocytomas. Some of these tumors, called low-grade gliomas, look very much like normal brain tissue to the naked eye. I use MRI during surgery to distinguish between normal tissue and tumor tissue, which enables me to remove the tumor tissue precisely and effectively. We also use advanced techniques to map the parts of the brain responsible for language and movement before and during surgery. We can avoid these areas during an operation and safely remove tumors without harming vital brain tissue.
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Whenever possible, I try to use minimally invasive endoscopic approaches to operate on tumors at the base of the skull, such as those in or near the pituitary gland, like craniopharyngiomas and adenomas. Using this innovative technique, I can remove these tumors through the nose. This leaves no external scars, is less uncomfortable, and is easier for children to tolerate than conventional neurosurgery.
In addition to caring for young patients, I direct a research laboratory. I am seeking to understand several connected scientific questions. One major focus is exploring the events that turn noncancerous tumors, such as low-grade astrocytomas, into cancerous tumors. We have shown that certain cells from the bone marrow travel to the brain and promote the development of tumors. Treating these interactions is known as immunotherapy. The basic science underlying this idea forms the center of our research.
Another focus of the lab is to understand how tumor cells move through the brain. We study a rare tumor called gliomatosis cerebri to better understand this phenomenon and prevent tumor invasion. Finally, we are interested in what is known as precision medicine. This means developing tools and algorithms to better tailor therapy to target mutations we have discovered through biopsies.
I truly draw inspiration from my young patients every day. As we make treatment decisions with our patients and their families, we always keep in mind the goal of a happy, productive childhood and their continued physical, emotional, and intellectual development.
A pediatric neurosurgeon is a doctor with special training in surgery on the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and nerves). They treat children and adolescents.
My Specialties
- Pediatric Neurosurgery
- Pediatric Brain Tumors
- Neuroendoscopy
- Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery
- Spinal Cord Tumors
Education
- MD, Weill Cornell Medical College
- PhD, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences
Residencies
- Neurosurgery - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/NewYork-Presbyterian
Fellowships
- Pediatric Neurosurgery - Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Board Certifications
- Neurological Surgery
- Pediatric Neurological Surgery
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Contact and Location
Dr. Greenfield sees patients at one location.
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Colleagues
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Search clinical trialsResearch and Publications
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Greenfield’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
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