Pallavi Kumar, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania
Highlights
- Speaker, 2026 Conference on Metastatic Breast Cancer
- Medical oncologist and palliative care physician specializing in advanced cancer care and communication
- Section chief of oncology palliative care and associate program director for the hematology-oncology fellowship at Penn Medicine
Dr. Pallavi Kumar is a medical oncologist and palliative care physician at Penn Medicine, where she serves as the section chief of oncology palliative care within the division of hematology-oncology. She is also an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Kumar specializes in the care of advanced cancer, with a clinical focus on gastrointestinal malignancies. In addition to her work at Penn Medicine, she provides oncology care at the Corporal Michael J. Crescencz VA Medical Center.
In her academic and leadership roles, Dr. Kumar serves as associate program director for the hematology-oncology fellowship at Penn, where she is actively involved in medical education and mentorship. Her research interests are focused on communication and palliative care delivery for patients with advanced cancer.
Dr. Kumar earned her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine and completed her residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She went on to completed fellowships in hospice and palliative medicine at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and in hematology-oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Massachusetts General Hospital. She is board-certified in hospice and palliative medicine, internal medicine, and medical oncology.