Program Director, Leadership Institute
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Kate Cavanaugh, Ph.D. is a Program Director for the Leadership Institute within Human Resources at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She received her Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Old Dominion University.
She has over 15 years of experience designing and carrying out Psychology research, analyzing and visualizing data, and sharing results with stakeholders to drive positive organizational change. Within the Leadership Institute, she leads the research and analytics team, embedding metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of Leadership Institute programs and publishing research on leadership development efforts. She has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and presented research at national conferences in areas such as coaching, burnout, leadership development, and the use of innovative technologies for assessment, selection, and training.
Prior to joining MD Anderson, she worked as a consultant for ICF, a strategic consulting company based in Virginia, conducting leader development research and training evaluation for federal government and non-profit organizations. She also works for SurgWise, a boutique consulting firm specializing in selection assessments and structured interviewer training for medical trainees.
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
3:15pm - 4:15pm CT