Education
- MD, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY
- General Surgery Residency, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI
- Research Fellowship, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- Clinical Fellowship, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
- MAS, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA
Clinical Specialties
Dr. Kelly’s primary clinical practice includes the treatment of upper gastrointestinal malignancies, including gastric, pancreatic, and hepatobiliary cancers, as well as peritoneal surface malignancy, melanoma, and sarcoma. She is particularly interested in developing minimally invasive techniques for cancer surgery. Dr. Kelly’s primary clinical and research interest is gastric cancer. She is among the highest-volume gastric cancer surgeons in the country with over 10 year of experience, and has pioneered minimally-invasive surgical techniques for gastrectomy with comprehensive lymph node removal. Dr. Kelly also performs some operations with an open technique when necessary, and can perform additional procedures to treat liver cysts, chronic pancreatitis, and gallbladder disease. Dr. Kelly is board-certified in Complex General Surgical Oncology and General Surgery.
Dr. Kelly provides a wide range of services including Laparoscopic and Robotic Gastrectomy, Liver Resection, Laparoscopic Pancreatectomy, Small Bowel and Large Bowel/Colon Resection, Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy, Cytoreductive Surgery with HIPEC, Whipple Procedure, Bile Duct Resection, Removal of Extremity and Retroperitoneal Sarcoma, Cholecystectomy (Gallbladder Removal).
Research Interests
Dr. Kelly is a clinical and translational researcher. She is a Nationally-recognized expert in gastric cancer treatment and much of her research is aimed to improve the quality of gastric cancer surgery as it is performed across the U.S. She is also involved in the development and conduct of clinical trials. Dr. Kelly is an active member of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology, and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Recent Publications
Correction: ASO Author Reflections: It's Time to Take Dyspepsia Seriously.
Kelly KJ
Ann Surg Oncol 2026 Jun 05;
[PubMed ID: 42249262]ASO Visual Abstract: The Full Scope-Standardization of the Use of Endoscopy for Earlier Diagnosis of Stomach Cancer in the United States.
Sigler G, Walker B, Weiss J, Benson M, Gopal D, Pfau P, Kelly KJ
Ann Surg Oncol 2026 Jun 01;
[PubMed ID: 42228256]ASO Author Reflections: It's Time to Take Dyspepsia Seriously.
Kelly KJ
Ann Surg Oncol 2026 May 27;
[PubMed ID: 42201489]The Full Scope: Standardization of the Use of Endoscopy for Earlier Diagnosis of Stomach Cancer in the USA.
Sigler G, Walker B, Weiss J, Benson M, Gopal D, Pfau P, Kelly KJ
Ann Surg Oncol 2026 May 06;
[PubMed ID: 42091830]Operative strategies for the acute difficult gallbladder: a Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract state-of-the-art systematic review and meta-analysis of subtotal cholecystectomy outcomes.
Nadeem MA, Awan AR, Wehrle CJ, Tsutsumi A, Darby F, Bhandarkar S, Bentrem D, Allen C, Kelly K, Clark C, Augustin T, Ahuja V, Naffouje S
J Gastrointest Surg 2026 Apr; 30(4): 102345
[PubMed ID: 41644007]