Kerin Adelson, MD

Kerin Adelson, MD, is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer and the chief quality officer and deputy chief medical officer at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital. 

Dr Adelson believes that communication is the foundation of her relationships with patients and that it is her job to provide them with the information they need to make decisions that most align with their goals and preferences.  

She works with physician, nurses, and finance leadership to implement the cancer center’s quality and safety program. She also oversees inpatient clinical operations, medical practice, and professionalism.

With extensive experience leading clinical transformation and value-based care efforts at Yale Cancer Center, Dr. Adelson has an unrelenting focus on improving patient experience and outcomes. Since 2016, she has led Yale’s participation in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s Oncology Care Model and more recently, Anthem’s Oncology Medical Home.  

These ventures into value-based payment have provided the revenue to build clinical infrastructure that is transforming how Yale cares for patients with cancer. New programs in care management, oncology urgent care, and clinical pathways prevent hospitalizations and emergency department visits, standardize treatment, and align treatment with patients’ end-of-life goals. Recent implementation of a hospitalist oncology inpatient care model has reduced length of stay by more than one day while length of stay has increased across the rest of the organization.

Dr. Adelson served as the interim director of Yale Cancer Center’s Breast Research Program from 2018 to 2021, strategically aligning clinical trials with the center’s patient population and doubling clinical trial accrual.

As a national leader in cancer quality and value-based payment, Dr. Adelson serves as chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s Quality of Care Committee and sits on its Oncology Medical Home Task Force.  Dr. Adelson speaks nationally on cancer care quality, cost of care, and the integration of shared decision-making into cancer treatment.