Jon Kleen, MD, PhD

Dr. Jon Kleen is a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy care. He is dedicated to improving the lives of patients with epilepsy by stopping seizures and finding new ways to overcome epilepsy-related cognitive issues, such as memory problems.

Kleen is a neuroscientist with expertise in signal processing (the use of computers to study patterns in large amounts of data), which he applies to cutting-edge diagnostic approaches and emerging therapies for epilepsy, including brain stimulation. As part of his research, he investigates how memory circuits work in the human brain and why they are disrupted in many people with epilepsy. He also develops technology that integrates brainwave recordings with brain images to help pinpoint where seizures start, with the goal of increasing the chance for future curative surgery in patients whose prior treatments failed.

Kleen earned a doctorate in neuroscience from Dartmouth College and his medical degree from the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine. At UCSF, he completed a residency in neurology, serving as chief resident, and a fellowship in epilepsy. He also completed postdoctoral training in human neurophysiology at UCSF. In 2017, he was elected by UCSF medical students for membership in UCSF's chapter of Alpha Omega Alpha for excellence in teaching.

Kleen enjoys spending his free time with family, as well as practicing Spanish and basic Mandarin, bicycling in Golden Gate Park, watching the ocean from San Francisco's landmark Sutro Baths, and getting lost in Wikipedia.