Petra M. Klinge

Department of Neurosurgery, Lifespan Physician Group (LPG), Rhode Island Hospital

Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University Director, Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery Director, CSF center of the brain and spine Rhode Island Hospital

Petra M. Klinge
Petra Klinge, MD, PhD, MA, IFAANS Professor of Neurosurgery

Dr Petra M. Klinge received her medical degree (MD) at the University in Kiel in 1993. After completing her neurosurgical residency in Hannover Medical School, Germany, in 2002, Dr Klinge has held the position of Senior Physician and Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at the International Neuroscience Institute in Hannover, Germany.

Dr Klinge joined the Neurosurgery Foundation and the Warren-Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, as an Attending Neurosurgeon in May 2009 and received the degree of an Associate Professor of Neurosurgery at the Warren-Alpert Medical School at Brown University in December 2009.

Dr Klinge is an internationally renowned clinician for diagnosing and neurosurgical treatment of patients with Hydrocephalus. She continues her research activities in collaboration with the Department of Clinic Neurosciences at Brown University, working on the unifying concept of dementias and cognition related pathology in Hydrocephalus in the adult population. Dr Klinge was President of the International Society for Hydrocephalus and CSF Disorders from May 2010 to 2012.

In addition to complex adult and pediatric hydrocephalus, her practice at Brown University and Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Childrens Hospital includes patients with associated developmental Cerebrospinal fluid disorders, such as spina bifida, Chiari malformation, and tethered cord syndrome. Dr. Klinge’s scientific interests are “Chiari malformation and cognition”, the pathophysiology of the “occult tethered cord syndrome” and “adult-onset tethered cord”. To that extend, Dr. Klinge conducts translational clinical research on CSF disorders in collaboration with the Vet medical school at Michigan State University and Tufts University.

As a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Chiari&Syringomyelia Foundation and Scientific member of the Consortium of the International Ehlers Danlos Society, Dr. Klinge promotes pioneering research in the field of CSF disorders, through various educational symposiums (i.e. Brown Medical School CSF disorder symposium) , webinars and national conferences.

Dr Klinge is also an active member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeon, and since 2016, Dr. Klinge holds the position of a full rank professor of neurosurgery and in 2017was promoted to director of Pediatric Neurosurgery and Director of the cerebrospinal fluid center of the brain and spine at Rhode Island Hospital and at the Brown Medical School (https://www.lifespan.org?petra-m-klinge-phd) .

Publications