Penn Medicine Provider
Otorhinolaryngology
Christopher H. Rassekh, MD
4.9
(291)
Accepting new patients
Sees patients age 18 and up
Penn Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Perelman
Make an appointmentCall 800-789-7366

About me

  • Director, Penn Medicine Salivary Gland Center and Sialendoscopy Program
  • Co-Chair, Hospital University of Pennsylvania Airway Safety Committee
  • Director of Risk Reduction and Director of Professional Practice, Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
  • Professor of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery

Christopher H. Rassekh, MD is Professor of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Penn Medicine. He is the Director of the Penn Medicine Salivary Gland Center and Sialendoscopy Program, which provides evaluation of and minimally invasive surgery for diseases that cause swelling of the salivary glands including obstructive diseases such as salivary stones, salivary duct strictures and tumors. As a trusted member of the international salivary gland care community, he will serve as co-chair for the 5th International Salivary Gland Congress held at Penn Medicine in October of 2019. Dr. Rassekh sees patients with head and neck tumors including cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, salivary gland, thyroid and neck and also was a very early adopter of Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) for tumors and salivary gland diseases, and is an expert in cranial base surgery. He also is co-chair of the Airway Safety Committee at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Rassekh has been very active in the national and international community including the American Academy of Otorhinolaryngology which awarded him the Distinguished service award in 2007. He has been on the board of directors of the North American Skull Base Society and served on numerous committees in that organization. He is currently on the Board for the Salivary Section of the American Head and Neck Society and has been on the program planning committee for all three of these organizations. He is a fellow of the Triological Society (aka Laryngological, Otological and Rhinological Society).

Recognized by America's Top Doctors, 2012 - 2022

Recognized by Best Doctors in America 2015 - 2022

Recognized in Philadelphia magazine's annual Top Docs issues, 2018 - 2022

Specializing in Head and Neck Cancer, tumors, salivary gland diseases, sialendoscopy, and all other aspects of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, especially diseases of the nose, throat and neck and skull base.

Education and training

  • Medical School: University of Iowa College of Medicine
  • Residency: Spectrum Health Hospital (Butterworth Campus)
  • Residency: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
  • Fellowship: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
  • Fellowship: UPMC Presbyterian

What my patients think about me

Average Rating
4.9

291 reviews

Comments are submitted by patients and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Penn Medicine.

May 2025
5.0
5.0
very thoughtful and thorough.
April 2025
5.0
5.0
good dr.
April 2025
5.0
5.0
he was also very conscious of not keeping his patients waiting and keep things moving on time
April 2025
5.0
5.0
long wait to see the doctor

Insurance accepted

My Locations

Learn about location

Penn Medicine hospital privileges

  • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Pennsylvania Hospital: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
Dr. Rassekh is a Penn Medicine physician.

Qualifications and experience

My research

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, 110: 2025

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

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 2 submandibular gland. , Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2024 Feb 14:9(1):e1224, doi: 10.1002/lio2.1224. eCollection 2024 Feb. PMID: : 2024

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 , Am J Clin Pathol : 2023

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

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

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): 2022,579-588

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

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: 2022,1-5

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