Cerena Leung, M.D.
Department of Hospital Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Hospital Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Hospital Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2014 | Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri, US, MD |
| 2010 | Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri, US, Psychology, BA |
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 |
| 2024 | BLS |
| 2024 | ACLS |
| 2023 | DEA Certificate |
| 2017 | American Board of Internal Medicine |
| 2017 | Texas Medical Board |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Staff Physician, Department of Emergency Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, 2017 - 2020
Administrative Appointments/Responsibilities
Physician Advisor, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, 2024 - Present
The Transition of Care Post-Hospital Discharge Clinic Lead, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2023 - Present
Physician Advisor, Memorial Hermann Health System, Houston, TX, 2018 - 2020
Extramural Institutional Committee Activities
Lead, UR Extended Stay Review Subcommittee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2022 - Present
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.
- 2017. Medical Futility and the Law. Invited. Saint Louis, MO, US.
- 2016. The New Little Blue Pill - A Teachable Moment. Invited. SLU Right Care Rounds. Saint Louis, MO, US.
National Presentations
- 2023. “Understanding Preventable 7-day Readmission Rates in Hospital Medicine Patients at a Comprehensive Cancer Center.”. Poster. SHM Converge 2023. Austin, TX, US.
- 2019. “An Atypical Presentation of Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis.”. Poster. HM2019 - Hospital Medicine Annual Conference. National Harbor, MD, US.
- 2018. “A Stroke Misdiagnosed: A Case of Familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Revealed.”. Poster. AGS 2018 Annual Scientific Meeting. Orlando, FL, US.
- 2016. Use of Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography for Suspected Pulmonary Embolism in patients with malignancy – A single center experience. Poster. American Society of Hematology 2016 Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA, US.
International Presentations
- 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, US.
- 2023. “The IMPACT of an interdisciplinary goals-of-care program on readmission rates at a Comprehensive care center.”. Poster. 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. Chicago, US.
- 2023. Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 Disease and Mortality Among Patients with Cancer. Poster. MASCC/JASCC/ISOO 2023 Annual Meeting. Nara, JP.
- 2021. Hospitalization Characteristics and Outcomes in Patients with Cancer and COVID-19. Poster. MASCC/ISOO 2021 Annual Meeting, US.
- 2012. Transcranial Doppler Investigation of Clinical and Subclinical Cerebral Vasculopathy in Paediatric Neurofibromatosis Type 1. Poster. 12th International Child Neurology Congress and the 11th Asian and Oceanian Congress of Child Neurology. Brisbane, AU.
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Leung C, Cheng L, Walton N, Nortje N, Adelson K, Hui D. Prediction of 48-h Intensive Care Unit Mortality in Hospitalized Cancer Patients: Performance of the EPIC Deterioration Index and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score. J Intensive Care Med, 2025.
- 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.
- Manzano JM, Muthu M, Kheder E, Mohammed A, Halm J, Dickson K, Ali N, Leung C, Koom-Dadzie K, Rubio D, Odaro O, Sibille M, Etchegaray M, Wilson K, Lin H, George M. Hospitalization characteristics and outcomes of patients with cancer and COVID-19 at a comprehensive cancer center. Support Care Cancer 30(9):7783-7788, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35705751.
- Greenbaum U, Klein K, Martinez F, Song J, Thall PF, Ramdial JL, Knape C, Aung FM, Scroggins J, Knopfelmacher A, Mulanovich V, Borjan J, Adachi J, Muthu M, Leung C, Medina MC, Champlin R, Olson A, Alousi A, Rezvani K, Shpall EJ. High Levels of Common Cold Coronavirus Antibodies in Convalescent Plasma Are Associated With Improved Survival in COVID-19 Patients. Front Immunol 12:675679, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33995420.
- Ravulapati S, Leung C, Poddar N, Tu Y. Immunotherapy in Squamous Cell Skin Carcinoma. A Game Changer?. Am J Med 130(5):e207-e208, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28249663.
- Ravulapati S, Leung C, Maughan ST, Moser K, Batanian J, Poddar N. A Unique Case of Ebstein-Barr Virus related Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis with very complex cytogenetics in an adult male. Ann Hematol Oncol 3(8):1109, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
- Li WW, Leung C. Development and Pilot Test of a Culturally Sensitive CD-ROM for Hypertensive, Older Chinese Immigrants. Comput Inform Nurs 30(4):190-195, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 22080745.
Abstracts
- 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.
- 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, 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.
- 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.
- Manzano JG, Muthu M, Kheder E, Mohammed A, Halm J, Dickson K, Ali N, Leung C, Koom-Dadzie K, Rubio D, Odaro O, Sibille M, Etchegaray M, Wilson K, Lin H, George M. Hospitalization Characteristics and Outcomes in Patients with Cancer and Covid-19. MASCC/ISOO 2021 Annual Meeting 29(suppl 1):s35, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Reddy DR, Wegner R, Crommett J, Muthu M, Kheder E, Manzano JG, Leung C, Gutierrez C, Manjappachar N, Cuenca J, Price KJ, Nates JL. First Surge Covid-19 Experience at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. 50th Critical Care Congress 49(1):59, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Abrams, LM, Doughem KA, Leung C. An Atypical Presentation of Active Pulmonary 2019 Tuberculosis. Hospital Medicine 2019, 2019. e-Pub 2019.
- Ravulapati S, Leung C, Mehta M, Christopher K, Woelich S, Poddar N. Use of Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography for Suspected Pulmonary Embolism in patients with malignancy – A single center experience. 58th ASH Annual Meeting and Exhibition 128(22):5907, 2016. e-Pub 2016.
- Geller TJ, Prakash V, Leung C, Cruz-Flores S, Daoud A, Feen E. Transcranial Doppler Investigation of Clinical and Subclinical Cerebral Vasculopathy in Paediatric Neurofibromatosis Type 1. 12th International Child Neurology Congress and the 11th Asian and Oceanian Congress of Child Neurology 54(S4):79, 2012. e-Pub 2012.
Book Chapters
- Bruera S, Leung C. Immune-Related Adverse Events with other Cancer Immunotherapies. In: Rheumatic Diseases and Syndromes Induced by Cancer Immunotherapy: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Management. Springer International Publishing, 255-269, 2021.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified November 11, 2025