Cerena Leung, M.D.
Department of Hospital Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Associate Professor, Department of Hospital Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2014 | Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, US, MD |
Postgraduate Training
| 2014-2017 | Resident, Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2024 | American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians |
| 2017 | American Board of Internal Medicine |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Assistant Professor, Department of Hospital Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2020 - 2026
Staff Physician, Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 2017 - 2020
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Physician Advisor - Operations Medical Director, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2026 - Present
The Transition of Care Post-Hospital Discharge Clinic Lead, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2023 - Present
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Lead, UR Extended Stay Review Subcommittee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2022 - 2026
Member, UR Readmissions Subcommittee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2020 - Present
Member, Utilization Review (UR) Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2020 - Present
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
Local Presentations
- 2025. A Transition of Care (TOC) Clinic and Its Impact on Unplanned Readmissions. Invited. Quality Grand Rounds. Houston, TX, US.
- 2025. Survival Prediction Models for Hospitalized Patients. Invited. Center for Goal Concordant Care Annual Retreat. Houston, TX, US.
- 2025. Short-Term Mortality Prediction in Cancer Patients. Invited. Center for Goal Concordant Care: Monthly Scientific Meeting. Houston, TX, US.
- 2024. Unplanned Readmissions. Invited. MDA RSS Emergency Medicine Didactics. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. Validation of a Deterioration Index Model in the Medical Oncology Population. Invited. Center for Goal Concordant Care Research Scientific Retreat. Houston, Texas, US.
- 2024. The Transition of Care (TOC) Post-Hospital Discharge Clinic and Unplanned Readmissions. Invited. DHM-QVSE Conference Series. Houston, TX, US.
National Presentations
- 2026. Impact of a Novel Advanced Support Unit on Intensive Care Unit Mortality at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Poster. 2026 ASCO Quality Care Symposium. Boston, MA, US.
- 2025. Prediction of 48-hour Intensive Care Unit Mortality in Hospitalized Cancer Patients: Accuracy of the EPIC Deterioration index and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score. Poster. 2025 ASCO Quality Care Symposium. Chicago, IL, US.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Leung, CK, Cheng, L, Walton, NC, Nortje, N, Adelson, K, Hui, D. Prediction of 48-h Intensive Care Unit Mortality in Hospitalized Cancer Patients. Journal of Intensive Care Medicine 41(6):532-539, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 42113572.
- Leung, CK, Walton, NC, Kheder, E, Zalpour, A, Wang, J, Zavgorodnyaya, D, Kondody, S, Zhao, C, Lin, Y, Bruera, E, Manzano, JM. Understanding Potentially Preventable 7-day Readmission Rates in Hospital Medicine Patients at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Am J Med Qual 39(1):14-20, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38127668.
- Leung C, Andersen CR, Wilson K, Nortje N, George M, Flowers C, Bruera E, Hui D. The impact of a multidisciplinary goals-of-care program on unplanned readmission rates at a comprehensive cancer center. Support Care Cancer 32(1):66, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 38150077.
Abstracts
- Botdorf J, Hui D, Walton NC, Leung C, Hsu S, Chen K, Reddy DR, Nortje N, Azhar A, George MC, Grami P, Avery L, Slusser K, Rivera JA, Flowers C, Adelson KB. Impact of a Novel Advanced Support Unit on Intensive Care Unit Mortality at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. 2026 ASCO Quality Care Symposium 22(10_suppl), 2026. e-Pub 2026.
- Leung C, Cheng L, Walton N, Nortje N, Adelson K, Hui D. Prediction of 48-hour Intensive Care Unit Mortality in Hospitalized Cancer Patients: Accuracy of the EPIC deterioration index and sequential organ failure assessment score. 2025 ASCO Quality Care Symposium 21(10_suppl), 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Manzano JG, Mohammed A, Muthu M, Edelkamp P, Ali N, Lin H, Dickson K, Kheder E, Koom-Dadzie K, Leung C, Odaro O, Rubio D, Senechalle MS, George M, Halm J. Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 Disease and Mortality Among Patients with Cancer. MASCC/JASCC/ISOO 2023 Annual Meeting 31(Suppl 1):S27, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Leung C, Andersen CR, Wilson K, Nortje N, George MC, Flowers C, Bruera E, Hui D. The IMPACT of an interdisciplinary goals-of-care program on readmission rates at a Comprehensive care center. 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting 41(16_suppl):6565-6565, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Ali N, Kheder E, Dickson K, Rubio D, Koom-Dadzie K, Edelkamp P, Lin H, Muthu M, Mohammed A, Leung C, Odaro O, Sibille M, George M, Halm J, Manzano JG. Association of presenting symptoms with COVID-19 disease severity and outcomes among hospitalized patients with cancer and COVID-19. 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting 41(16_suppl):e13581-e13581, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
- Leung C, Walton N, Kheder E, Zalpour A, Wang J, Zavgorodnyaya D, Kondody S, Zhao C, Lin H, Bruera E, Manzano J. Understanding Preventable 7-day Readmission Rates in Hospital Medicine Patients at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. SHM Converge 2023 18(s1):s224-s225, 2023. e-Pub 2023.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified October 29, 2026