Penn Medicine Provider
Hematology, Medical Oncology
Catherine E. Lai, MD, MPH
she/her
4.9
(231)
Accepting new patients
Sees patients age 18 and up
Abramson Cancer Center Perelman 4th Floor West

About me

  • Physician Leader, Leukemia Clinical Research Unit
  • Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine (Hematology-Oncology)

I am an Associate Professor and Physician Leader of the Leukemia Clinical Research Unit at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine. Board-certified in hematology, oncology and internal medicine, I specialize in detecting, monitoring, and treating acute leukemias and myeloid malignancies in adults. Previously at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, I focused on clinical trials in acute leukemias.

My research focuses on novel therapeutics, designing and conducting clinical trials, and health outcomes for leukemia and myeloid malignancy patients.

My goal is to provide excellent care by communicating effectively and educating patients in a collaborative environment.

Education and training

  • Medical School: George Washington University
  • Residency: University of Illinois Medical Center
  • Fellowship: National Cancer Institute

What my patients think about me

Average Rating
4.9

231 reviews

Comments are submitted by patients and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Penn Medicine.

June 2025
5.0
5.0
dr. lai is an experienced hematology oncologist. we trust her judgement and her treatment plan.
June 2025
5.0
5.0
i love dr lai. she is so smart and nice and explains things well. and she always asks about my life and generally have very pleasant appointments!
June 2025
5.0
5.0
best care in philly
May 2025
5.0
5.0
very personable, kind, and knowledgeable

Insurance accepted

My Locations

Penn Medicine hospital privileges

  • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
Dr. Lai is a Penn Medicine physician.

Qualifications and experience

My research

Lai CE, Leahy TP, Turner AJ, Thomassen A, Wang L, Sheppard AD, Cortes J Effectiveness of olutasidenib versus ivosidenib in patients with mutated isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 acute myeloid leukemia who are relapsed or refractory to venetoclax: the 2102-HEM-101 trial versus a US electronic health record-based external control arm , Leuk Lymphoma: 2025


Catherin Lai Navigating Practice Barriers to Mutation Testing in AML , Kaplan, virtual: 2025


Catherine Lai Charting the Course of ALL: From Diagnosis to Advances , Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, LLS Podcast series for Professionals "Treating Blood Cancers": 2025


Carraway HE, Brunner AM, Lai CE, Luskin MR, Park J, Perl AE, Stein EM, Wang ES, Zeidan AM, Zeidner JF, Komrokji R Advancing the Management of CH, MDS, and AML From the First Bridging the Gaps in Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Multiple Myeloma Conference , Clin Lymphoma Myeloma Leuk: 2025


Wang X, Gimotty PA, Matthews AH, Mamtani R, Luger SM, Hexner EO, Babushok DV, McCurdy SR, Frey NV, Bruno XJ, Gill S, Martin ME, Paralkar VR, Maillard I, Porter DL, Loren AW, Perl AE, Pratz KW, Getz KD, Lai C. Evolving racial/ethnic disparities in AML survival in the novel therapy era , Blood Adv: 2025


Ashley D. Hadjis, Honghong Sun, Yangzhu Du, Rebecca T. Brown, Pashna Munshi, Saar I. Gill, Nasheed M. Hossain, Sarah Skuli, Noelle V. Frey, Elizabeth O Hexner, Ximena Jordan Bruno, Catherine E. Lai, Mary Ellen Martin, Selina M. Luger, David L Porter, Alison W. Loren, Shannon R. McCurdy Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) and Senescence-Associated Biomarkers Correlate with Frailty and Survival in Older Adults Undergoing Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) , Transplantation and Cellular Therapy: 2025


Meghann Cody, Dr. Heather E. Stefanski, Jason Oakes, Sam Sharf, Ruth Bakken, Anna M. DeSalvo, John P. Miller, Steven M. Devine, Lucy A. Godley, Catherine E. Lai, Lacey Williams Implementation and Early Insights of NMDP's New Post-Transplant Genetic Findings Management Process , Transplantation and Cellular Therapy: 2025


Shannon R. McCurdy, Anthony D Sung, Rebecca T. Brown, Marni Kessler, Nelson J. Chao, Thuy T. Koll, Alfred Fisher, Ernaya Johnson, Meagan Lew, Lauren Bohannon, Sanghee Hong, Pashna Munshi, Saar I. Gill, Nasheed M. Hossain, Sarah Skuli, Noelle V. Frey, Elizabeth O Hexner, Ximena Jordan Bruno, Daria Babushock, Catherine E. Lai, Mary Ellen Martin, Selina M. Luger, David L Porter, Alison W. Loren, Vijaya Raj Bhatt, Phyllis Gimotty Machine Learning Models Demonstrate Gait Speed As the Best Predictor of Survival and Relapse-Free Survival in Older Adults Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation , Transplantation and Cellular Therapy: 2025


Rowe, M., Babushok, D., Carroll, M., Carulli, A., Frey, N., Gill, S., Hexner, E., Hirsh, R., Hossain, N., Lai, C., Loren, A., Luger, S., Maillard, I., McCurdy, S., Matthews, A., Martin, M.E., Paralkar, V.R., Perl, A., Porter, D., Pratz, K., Stadtmauer, E. and Bruno, X.J. Tumor Lysis Syndrome in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients Treated With a Venetoclax Based Regimen , Eur J Haematol: 2025


Jessica M. Stempel, Geoffrey L. Uy, Shira N. Dinner, Ivana Gojo, Daniel R Reed, Rupali Roy, Kenneth P Byrd, Swaroopa Yerrabothala, Catherine E. Lai, Kimberley Doucette, Anne Caldwell, Ondrej Blaha, Nikolai A. Podoltsev, Lourdes M Mendez, Jan Philipp Bewersdorf, Tariq Kewan, Ignacio Wistuba, Gheath Alatrash, Cara L Haymaker, Howard Streicher, Elad Sharon, Richard F. Little, Steven D. Gore, Jerald P. Radich, Brent L. Wood, Amer M. Zeidan, Rory M. Shallis Efficacy and Safety of Pembrolizumab Added to Azacitidine Plus Venetoclax for Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Results from an Investigator-Initiated, Multi-Center, CTEP-Sponsored Randomized, Phase II Trial (BLAST AML-2) , Blood: 2024