About Dr. Karyn Gell, MD
Dr. Karyn Gell joined Grand Rapids Allergy in 1992, a practice established by her father, Dr. Leonard “Pete” Gell, and they worked together for ten years prior to his retirement. She graduated from Forest Hills Central High School in Grand Rapids and subsequently Phi Beta Kappa from Albion College, earning her Medical Degree from Michigan State College of Human Medicine. Her internship and residency were served at Spectrum Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, becoming board certified in Internal Medicine. She received a degree in allergy at the University of Michigan and is board certified in both adult and pediatric allergy and clinical immunology.
Dr. Gell has long been interested in aerobiology and began pollen and mold counting, initially with a Rotorod sampler, transitioning to a Burkhardt rooftop seven-day recording aeroallergen sampler. She participated in a GRAMEC residency research program and won Best Clinical Study, looking at the relationship of basidiospores to asthma emergency room visits. The office subsequently became certified as a pollen and mold counting station for the aeroallergen network (and local TV) for many years. She is highly trained in usage of immunotherapy as well as diagnosis and treatment of allergic airway disease (rhinitis, sinusitis, asthma), insect venom hypersensitivity, food allergy, atopic eczema, chronic urticaria, and clinical immunology.
Dr. Gell lives with her husband, Doug Ellinger, M.D., a radiologist also native to the Grand Rapids area, and their two children, Elizabeth and Peter. They enjoy life in a rural dirt-road setting with hobbies including biking, skiing, rollerblading, photography, gardening, anything out-of-doors.
Conditions Treated
Procedures & Services
Patient Education Resources
Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are a type of medication that is commonly used to treat asthma and other respiratory conditions. They are considered safe because they are delivered directly to the lungs...
Click on the image to access medication savings. In most cases,this form must be submitted along with proof of having purchased the medication from the pharmacy. Offers may be time-limited....
There is some evidence to suggest that gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye, may be a trigger for asthma symptoms in some individuals. However, the relationship between gluten and asthma ...
The treatment for peanut allergy is strict avoidance of peanuts and products that may contain peanuts. In case of accidental exposure, the use of rescue medications such as antihistamines and epinephr...
Pollen is a fine powder that is released by trees, grasses, and weeds during the spring, summer, and fall. When these pollens come into contact with the eyes, nose, and lungs of people who are sensiti...