Lauren Veltri, MD, is a hematologist-oncologist and cancer researcher. She treats cancers that grow in blood cells, bone marrow, and lymph nodes, including myeloma and lymphoma.
Dr. Veltri is a proud West Virginia native. She completed her medical degree, internal medicine residency, and hematology-oncology fellowship training at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. She was then accepted into the stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy fellowship program at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. After completing the year-long program in 2017, she returned to her beloved home state and joined the WVU Cancer Institute.
Today, Dr. Veltri directs the WVU Cancer Institute’s blood and marrow transplant (BMT) program. She and other members of the BMT team use specialized treatments to help patients fight cancer and other blood disorders.
These include:
- Blood stem cell transplants (also known as bone marrow transplants)
- Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy
- Umbilical cord blood transplants
Dr. Veltri enjoys the relationships she forms with patients and their families. She spends time helping them understand what they can expect during and after their treatments.
“I know that a cancer diagnosis is life-changing,” Dr. Veltri says. “Even though I’m familiar with these conditions, our patients are learning about them for the first time. They are experiencing new, overwhelming feelings and have lots of questions and concerns. I approach each patient with this in mind.”
Dr. Veltri is grateful to be able to offer the latest cancer treatments to her fellow West Virginians. “With newer treatments being developed, such as CAR T-cell therapy, we have further therapy options available to provide to our patients,” she says. “And it makes a difference to our patients when they don’t have to leave the state to receive care.”
In addition to caring for patients, Dr. Veltri leads clinical trials to test promising new treatments for lymphoma and myeloma. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and energetic young son.
