Leah M. Katz

Dr. Leah M. Katz is Vice Chair of Faculty Development and an attending radiation oncologist in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. She is a board-certified physician, academic clinician-educator, and nationally recognized leader in faculty development, physician well-being, and the integration of artificial intelligence into radiation oncology education and practice.
Dr. Katz received her MD and MPH from Tulane University and completed residency training in radiation oncology at NYU Langone Medical Center. She previously held academic appointments at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where she served as Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, Well-Being Director for the department, Clinical Trial Program Director at the Hudson Valley site, and Director of a departmental coaching program for residents and faculty. In these roles, she developed and led institution-wide initiatives focused on career development, mentorship, wellness, and systems-level interventions to support sustainable academic careers.
Dr. Katz’s scholarly work spans breast and gastrointestinal malignancies, survivorship and lymphedema, resident and faculty wellness, and workforce trends in radiation oncology. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications in journals including The Lancet Oncology, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics, Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Practical Radiation Oncology, Advances in Radiation Oncology, and Frontiers in Oncology. Her research also includes foundational work in neuro-oncology and tumor biology, as well as contemporary studies examining diversity, equity, and professional boundaries in academic medicine.
A growing focus of Dr. Katz’s work is artificial intelligence literacy, governance, and education in radiation oncology. She is an elected board member of the Radiation Oncology Education Collaborative Study Group (ROECSG), where she serves as Chair of the AI in Residency Education Committee, and is an active contributor to national efforts addressing AI adoption, ethics, and workforce preparedness. She is principal investigator on funded projects supporting AI education and physician optimization and is the author of invited and forthcoming chapters on career development and leveraging AI in academic radiation oncology.
Dr. Katz is a dedicated educator and mentor, leading resident and faculty curricula in wellness, time and research management, career development, and leadership. She is an abstract reviewer for the Journal of Clinical Oncology, serves on multiple editorial boards, and holds numerous national committee appointments within ASTRO, NRG Oncology, SWRO, and other professional societies. Her work has been recognized with repeated designation as a New York Times Super Doctors Rising Star when she lived in NY.
In addition to her academic and clinical roles, Dr. Katz is a national speaker and podcast host, contributing to public and professional dialogue on physician well-being, leadership, and the future of medicine in an AI-enabled era.

I am deeply committed to teaching, mentorship, and faculty development across the continuum of medical education. As Vice Chair of Faculty Development and a clinical faculty member in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, I am actively involved in the education and professional development of residents within the ACGME-accredited Radiation Oncology Residency Program. My educational efforts emphasize career development, physician well-being, leadership skills, research productivity, and the thoughtful integration of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, into clinical practice and academic scholarship.
I play a central role in mentoring residents and junior faculty, providing structured coaching and longitudinal guidance on clinical excellence, academic advancement, work-life integration, and leadership development. I lead and contribute to departmental curricula focused on wellness, time management, research strategy, and sustainable career design, and I serve as a trusted advisor to trainees navigating key career transitions. My approach prioritizes human-centered education, equipping learners with the cognitive, ethical, and professional skills needed to practice effectively in an increasingly complex and technology-enabled healthcare environment.
At the national level, I am actively engaged in radiation oncology education through leadership and service roles within professional societies. I serve on multiple education-focused committees and working groups, and contribute to curriculum development and abstract review. I am particularly involved in advancing AI literacy and governance in residency education, with an emphasis on ensuring that trainees understand both the capabilities and limitations of AI tools and maintain clinical judgment, equity, and professionalism.
In addition to formal teaching roles, I mentor learners across multiple stages of training, including medical students, residents, fellows, and early-career faculty. I have developed and led a structured coaching program, and through these various efforts, I aim to foster a learning environment that promotes excellence, resilience, curiosity, and ethical leadership, while preparing the next generation of radiation oncologists to thrive in an evolving academic and clinical landscape.

My research focuses on advancing sustainable, high-quality cancer care through innovations in physician development, patient education, and the responsible integration of emerging technologies in radiation oncology. I study how educational interventions, directed at both clinicians and patients, can improve outcomes, reduce treatment-related morbidity, and support long-term well-being across the cancer care continuum.
A central area of my work is faculty and trainee development in academic medicine, with particular emphasis on mitigating burnout, improving career sustainability, and advancing equity. An expanding focus of my research is artificial intelligence in oncology education and practice. I am particularly interested in AI literacy, governance, and human-centered implementation, with the goal of ensuring that AI augments clinical judgment rather than replacing it. I have received grant funding from Yale University to develop an AI curriculum for oncology, aimed at preparing trainees and faculty to use AI tools thoughtfully, ethically, and effectively in clinical and academic settings.
I also maintain active clinical research interests in breast and gastrointestinal malignancies, cancer survivorship, and patient education. I have received grant funding to develop and study a patient-facing lymphedema education video intervention, as well as ways to mitigate sexual health dysfunction in patients who received pelvic radiation.
Collectively, my work seeks to bridge education, technology, and clinical care to create an oncology workforce, and patient experience, that is informed, resilient, and prepared for the future.