We post reviews for MSK healthcare providers who have at least 30 patient experience surveys completed. If you do not see reviews for a provider, it may be because they do not yet have enough survey responses, or the provider may not be part of the group of healthcare providers included in the survey.
Only outpatient providers are included in the survey. Healthcare providers who only work in the hospital or in urgent care are not included in the survey. Pathologists or researchers who do not provide direct care to patients do not have reviews.
I am an intensivist and pulmonologist who cares for people admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).
I first became interested in critical care during my internal medicine residency. I enjoyed the challenge of treating complex patient cases and providing comfort to patients and their families who found themselves in vulnerable positions. My goal now is the same as it was then: to deliver compassionate, evidence-based medical attention to each patient. I focus on listening to both my patients and their families, so I can reconcile their personal values with the care that I provide.
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As both a pulmonologist and intensivist, I continue to be passionate about the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary disease, as well as general critical care medicine. I am trained in a variety of critical care procedures, in addition to more advanced bronchoscopy and pleural procedures. My fellowship at MSK helped me gain a unique perspective in both the pulmonary and systemic (affecting the entire body) complications that people may develop as a result of cancer and its treatment.
Outside of medicine, I enjoy traveling, cooking, and attending
My Role at MSK
An intensivist is a doctor with special training in treating patients who are critically ill (very sick). They often work in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Areas of Expertise
Conditions I Treat
Pulmonary conditions
Complications of cancer
My Specialties
Critical cancer-related care
Bronchoscopy
Inpatient care
Education & Honors
Education
MSc, Bioengineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MD, Wayne State University School of Medicine
Residencies
Internal Medicine, Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center
Chief Medical Resident, Wayne State University/Detroit Medical Center
Fellowships
Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Board Certifications
Internal Medicine
Insurance Information
Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.
Aetna
In Network Coverage Type HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant
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Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.
Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.
You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Kao’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.
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Disclosures
Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.
MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.
Leslie E. Kao discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
No disclosures meeting criteria for time period
If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.
The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.
This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.
Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].