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

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

277 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.

November 2025
very patient and knowledgeable
October 2025
dr lai is very thorough.
September 2025
patient listens well and answered my questions
September 2025
knowledgeable, sincere, caring

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

Treatments and Conditions

My research

Catherine Lai "How has survival data influenced your use of Blinatumomab in first-line treatment for ALL, and in which patient populations do you see the greatest benefit?" , VuMedi: 2025


Skuli SJ, Bakayoko A, Kruidenier M, Manning B, Pammer P, Salimov A, Riley O, Brake-Sillá G, Dopkin D, Bowman M, Martinez-Gutierrez LN, Anderson CC, Reisz JA, Buono R, Paul M, Saland E, Liccardo F, DeVine A, Wong S, Xu JP, Nee E, Hausler R, Boettcher S, Sebti SM, Lai C, Maxwell KN, Sarry JE, Fruman DA, D'Alessandro A, Mesaros C, Keith B, Simon MC, Sung PJ, Wertheim G, Skuli N, Bowman RL, Matthews A, Carroll M. Chemoresistance of TP53 mutant acute myeloid leukemia requires the mevalonate byproduct, geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate, for induction of an adaptive stress response , Leukemia, 39(9): 2025,2087-2098.


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, 66(10): 2025,1821-1832


Catherin Lai "Survival Outcomes and Patient Selection for Blinatumomab in 1L ALL Therapy" , 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, 25(8): 2025,583-589.


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, 9(3): 2025,533-544


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) , American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Annual Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii.: 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 , American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Annual Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii. : 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 , American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Annual Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii.: 2025