Meet Paul P. Lee, M.D., J.D., Next Chair of the Department

Creating opportunities for Kellogg faculty to do "what they are passionate about"

Paul P. Lee, M.D., J.D.

Paul P. Lee, M.D., J.D., who becomes Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences on February 1, believes that Michigan is one of the world's great universities, providing opportunities for students, staff, and faculty looking to fulfill or even find their purpose in life.

In 1980, as an undergraduate on his way to earning a medical degree at the University of Michigan, Dr. Lee spent the summer as a Congressional intern in Washington, D.C. There, a staff member suggested that Dr. Lee pursue a law degree. "He gave me great advice," says Dr. Lee. "You can always find expert witnesses to come before Congress. But if you want to have a role in public policy, a legal education is the better pathway."

Dr. Lee recognized the opportunity before him and soon met with his medical school advisors, including a dean, Robert Reed, M.D., who counseled him to complete his third year of medical school before beginning law school. Another mentor, William Kelley, M.D., then Chair of Internal Medicine at Michigan, arranged for Dr. Lee to have an outpatient clinic rotation just down the street from the law school at Columbia University, where he earned his J.D. in May 1986, the same month he received his M.D. from Michigan.

"The constant in all of this," says Dr. Lee, "is the wonderful experience of being at the University of Michigan during my formative years and the incredible people who provided mentoring along the way."

Dr. Lee returns to Michigan from Duke University, where he has served as Vice Chairman of the Ophthalmology Department and the James Pitzer Gills, III, M.D. and Joy Gills Professor of Ophthalmology. In addition, he has held appointments as Director of Applied Health Systems Research at Duke University Health System and as Senior Advisor to the Chancellor. Dr. Lee's other administrative leadership positions at Duke include Chair of the Finance Committee of the physician practice and member of the Executive Management Committee of the Duke University Health System. Prior to joining Duke in 1997, Dr. Lee was with RAND, a nonprofit research organization in Santa Monica, California, and an associate professor at the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

After earning his medical degree at Michigan, Dr. Lee completed an internship in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Hospital and his ophthalmology residency at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Following his residency, Dr. Lee completed a glaucoma fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston.

Dr. Lee's early interest in public policy—and his legal training—have been central to his research and publications. His research focuses on assessing and improving quality of care, quality of life and outcomes research, and health systems utilization and policy—issues that are at the heart of the national discourse on health care.

Central to his activities is the desire to work with colleagues to help empower individuals to live healthier lives and to pursue their dreams. The vision he shares with Kellogg and the University is to preserve health and vision, cure disease, and optimize each person's visual functioning and capabilities. "Everything we do comes down to this question," says Dr. Lee. "Can we help the person who trusts us with his or her vision?" As a clinician, Dr. Lee focuses on complex glaucoma patients, with his practice in the last few years devoted to referrals from other specialists.

Current and future Chair of the Department:
Dr. Paul Lichter and Dr. Paul Lee.

In the months before he assumes his position as Chair, Dr. Lee has been meeting with Kellogg faculty to understand their clinical, educational, and research interests. "The terrific work of Dr. Paul Lichter and the faculty positions us to help reshape the future of vision health and eye care," he says. "Dr. Lichter has been an inspiration and role model to all who have been fortunate to be at Michigan during his time as Chair. It is a special privilege to help build on what he and the Department have already accomplished."

Looking ahead, Dr. Lee anticipates that many new partnerships will be formed across the University, the state, and, indeed, around the world.

Dr. Lee notes that Dr. Lichter was an important mentor during his medical school years, and later as a leader in the field of ophthalmology. "Dr. Lichter's philosophy is to hire the best people and give them independence and the means to pursue their passions," says Dr. Lee. "Dr. Lichter and other leaders whom I've had the good fortune to work with have followed that principle with great success."

Now, as Dr. Lee turns to his tenure as Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, he has a similar philosophy. "What sets Michigan and Kellogg apart are our people—faculty, trainees, staff, alumni, and community," he says. "Our obligation is to create opportunities for our people to do the things they are passionate about, things that will make a difference."