Catherine "Cate" Banfield is a fictional character in the American medical drama ER, portrayed by Angela Bassett.

Her first day as Chief tested her skills as an able and efficient leader when a bio-terrorist released a bag of weaponized Ricin in the ER, necessitating an evacuation and quarantine.

She briefly met and clashed over a gunshot case with Abby Lockhart, who was finishing her last shift on her last day at County General.

In the Season 15 episode "Heal Thyself", the audience begins to learn about Cate Banfield's haunting past and how her experiences have damaged her emotionally.

After Darryl began vomiting blood, Cate brought him to County General and was diagnosed by Dr. Mark Greene in Trauma 1.

In the last scene of the episode, Banfield and Greene talk about what happened near the Chicago River and how the ordeal proved to be completely damaging in Cate's mind and to her relationship with her husband.

When in the penultimate episode the mother arrives to take him back, Cate successfully convinces her to let her and Russell openly adopt the child.