Dr. Gersten is one of the first of a small number of surgeons in the country to become dual board certified in Sleep Medicine and Otolaryngology. He has been practicing sleep medicine and sleep surgery in the San Francisco Bay area since 2001, and is regularly recognized as one of the Bay Area’s top doctors. Google, Apple, Facebook and other tech companies regularly direct-refer their employees to be seen in his clinic. His practice is located within the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), a multi-specialty health organization with over 1600 providers assisting with the care of over 1 million patients per year. Dr. Gersten founded and heads the Alameda Division Sleep Medicine Department and is medical director for its eight-bed sleep lab. He has been instrumental in establishing a proactive strategy to identifying and managing sleep apnea in PAMF patients.
Dr. Gersten has been a pioneer in bringing advanced surgical techniques to manage palate and tongue-based obstruction to community practice. He has been a leader in collaborative care, partnering with advanced practice clinicians, medical specialists, dental professionals, nutritionists, and myofunctional therapists to successfully manage even the most challenging sleep apnea patients. Dr. Gersten’s practice utilizes behavioral, medical, CPAP, and surgical modalities to treat sleep conditions in both children and adults. He has approximately 5,000 patient visits each year, not including surgeries. Dr. Gersten regularly provides lectures for both the community and health care providers to increase awareness and understanding of sleep disorders as well as their treatment options. He also founded and ran a local A.W.A.K.E. support group to help community members with their sleep issues.
Dr. Gersten did his undergraduate training at Princeton University, received his M.D and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan, and completed otolaryngology residency training at the top three University of Washington program. He holds two patents related to the creation of cell surface markers in human cells.