Dmitriy Petrov, MD, is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Penn Medicine. Dr. Petrov sees patients at Penn Medicine University City and Penn Medicine Bucks County, where he specializes in neurotrauma and the treatment of brain tumors and spinal conditions.
What conditions do you treat at Penn Medicine?
I specialize in a variety of conditions of the brain, skull base, and spine. The focus of my work is on traumatic brain injuries (TBI), where I manage patients in critical care from the time they come into the health system through recovery. I also see patients with malignant and metastatic brain tumors. I treat complex spinal conditions as well.
What is the most exciting thing about being a part of the Penn neurosurgery team?
Penn Neurosurgery values a collaborative team approach for treating patients. I work closely with my colleagues each day, which means that our patients receive the highest level of expert care.
What is your philosophy on patient care?
I believe it is my job to care for all of my patients as if they were my own family. I wouldn’t offer anyone a treatment that I wouldn’t offer my own mom or dad if they were in the same situation. My goal is to provide someone with the treatment option that will bring them the best clinical outcome and the best quality of life.
What kinds of research are you involved in at Penn and what does that mean for patients?
I conduct research at the Center for Brain Injury and Repair, with a focus on modeling critical care for patients. I see how our sickest patients, such as those who have suffered a trauma or stroke, have recovered and apply this to other patients facing critical conditions so that they can make the best recovery possible. For example, I study mild to severe traumatic brain injury in order to understand both the short term and long term effects that trauma can have on patients. This allows me to determine how best to treat these patients.
What do you enjoy doing outside of practicing medicine?
I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter. I’m also very active and an avid lover of sports and jiu jitsu. In addition, I participate in community events for the TBI Recovery Project, a nonprofit organization I founded to support TBI survivors through the sponsorship and development of patient-facing projects and community rehabilitation initiatives.
Read about one of Dr. Petrov’s past patients and how the TBI Recovery Project was able to support survivors like him through a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament.