Accepting new patients
Charlene Lai, M.D.
Accepting new patients
- Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, School of Medicine
Specialty
- Pediatric Endocrinology
Clinical focus
- Diabetes
Locations and contact
I see patients at
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1 OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Marquam Hill
700 S.W. Campus DrivePortland, OR 97239 -
2 OHSU Doernbecher Specialty Pediatrics Clinic, Medford
691 Murphy Road 200200Medford, OR 97504 -
3 OHSU Doernbecher Specialty Pediatrics Clinic, Salem
875 Oak Street S.E.Salem, OR 97301
About me
Dr. Charlene Lai specializes in caring for children and adolescents with a wide range of endocrinology and diabetes needs. She was drawn to a career in pediatric endocrinology because she enjoys the long-term partnerships she can build with children and their families. She believes her role as a physician is to empower families with the knowledge and tools to meet their medical needs so that their child can continue living a joyful, playful and healthy life. Dr. Lai, along with a multidisciplinary team, works with families to understand their concerns and set and achieve health goals.
Dr. Lai is passionate about ensuring excellent diabetes and endocrinology care for all patients. Her research has focused on describing and improving disparities in the care of patients with diabetes.
Dr. Lai was born in Rhode Island and has lived in the Northeast, Midwest and Eastern Washington. She is thrilled to have returned to the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, a urologic oncologist. In her spare time, Dr. Lai enjoys hiking, playing ukulele and working on her Mandarin and Spanish skills.
Education and training
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Degrees
- B.A., 2009, Washington University in St. Louis
- M.D., 2014, Saint Louis School of Medicine
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Residency
- Pediatrics, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University/Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, 2019
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Fellowship
- Pediatric Endocrinology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 2021
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Certifications
- American Board of Pediatrics
Memberships and associations:
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Pediatric Endocrine Society
Insurance
Before scheduling an appointment
- Check your network. If you have health insurance, call your company to find out if the OHSU Health location or provider you plan to visit is part of your network.
- Ask what you will pay. Your insurance company can tell you what your costs are likely to be.
If you schedule an appointment and your health insurance does not include OHSU Health, you may have to pay more than if you go to a provider in your insurance network.
Visit our billing and insurance page for more information.
Ratings and reviews
4.7 out of 5
Overall: 4.7 out of 5 (38 Ratings, 11 Reviews)
The patient ratings score is an average of all responses to the question "How likely would you be to recommend this provider to your family and friends (on a scale of 0 to 10)" on our nationally-recognized NRC patient surveys.
Very well
Clinician had excellent interpersonal communication skills on top of her clear medical expertise
She was amazing! Spent all the time we needed. Answered all our questions! Made me feel so much better about a not great diagnosis.
Nice doctors
Nice, easy understanding, makes sure we understand
Dr. Lai has always been attentive, well-reasoned, and open to my thoughts as a caregiver/parent.
Dr. Lai was amazing and I appreciate that she brought a medical student in with her. She was also very caring and knowledgeable. I also liked that she explained things to me because she knew I didn't know what all these medical things meant.
Dr Lai and her staff were incredible. Very engaging with the patient, respectful, explained everything thoroughly.
Very nice, friendly and helpful.
Friendly, thorough, didn't feel rushed, discussed a plan for my child asking my input
Dr Lai was very friendly and patient, explaining things in a way that put my son at ease and allowed me to understand the current status and what we needed to do for future appointments.