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Steve
P. Lee, M.D., Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Interim Chair
Dr. Lee came to the United States from Taiwan at age 15. He attended a
public school in Los Angeles, and received his B.S. degree in Physics at
UCLA in 1984. During his college years, he developed an interest in the
integration of physics and biology. He decided to pursue his graduate
training in Biomedical Physics at UCLA and received his M.S. degree in
1986, under the guidance of Professor J. B. Smathers of the Department of
Radiation Oncology. Determined to be a radiation oncologist, Dr. Lee then
went on to attend medical school at the Ohio State University. He
subsequently chose UCLA for his residency training, because he planned to
simultaneously pursue a Ph.D. in Radiation Biology under Professor H. R.
Withers. He has recently realized this goal, after years of juggling
between clinical duties and academic research. Dr. Lee has always
treasured the fact that the clinical practice of radiation oncology is
based on the fundamental principles of radiation biology, chemistry, and
physics, and depends intimately on advances in modern science and
technology. His current research interest is focused on the quantitative
analysis of cancer treatment outcome in the clinic, linking to theoretical
predictions from basic science in oncology.
During Dr. Lee's clinical
practice, he has had the opportunity to serve numerous Asian American
patients. He soon realized the existence of some cancer-related problems
which are specific to Asian minority populations. For example, many
believe that cancer means death, even for early-stage disease. Most do not
appreciate the importance of cancer screening. The ubiquity of alternative
medicine is also a serious issue. Dr. Lee believes these ethno-specific
problems arise from cultural differences, not merely from the language
barrier alone. Since he considers himself bi-cultural as well as
bi-lingual, Dr. Lee feels that he is obliged to serve as a bridge, and
wishes to enlighten his compatriots with the gospel of modern science.
Thus, he has been very active in the area of medical education in the
community, participating in free clinics, making public speeches and
writing essays about cancer in Chinese. He has appeared on
Chinese-American TV and radio interviews, and served as President in the
Sino-American Cancer Foundation. He has also served as a voluntary
consultant for a Taiwan-based non-profit cancer organization, and
contributed as the Asian columnist for a new peer-review journal dedicated
to the multi-ethnic aspects of healthcare in America. Recently, he has
been invited to Asia repeatedly for academic exchanges (specifically in
the Philippines, S. Korea, and Taiwan), and played a significant role in
helping his Asian colleagues start their prostate brachytherapy programs.
Before he
returned to his alma mater and joined the Department as faculty, Dr. Lee
had spent two years in private practice in Downtown L.A. and one year in
San Bernardino, serving patients from a diverse spectrum of ethnic
backgrounds. He came to realize that there is a need for well-trained
radiation oncology professionals and sophisticated equipment in many areas
of Los Angeles. Therefore, he decided to return to UCLA with the hope of
being a factor in implementing UCLA's high quality cancer care throughout
Greater Los Angeles. Dr. Lee recently was appointed the Director of the
Radiation Oncology Residency Program at UCLA. This has given him the
opportunity to have a more direct influence in training quality radiation
oncologists to serve the community.
Dr. Lee
states that he is pleased to be a part of the great American scene, and
feels that one of the important lessons he has learned is the need for all
of us to communicate and relate to each other. As the world is getting
smaller day by day, Los Angeles will serve as a genuine microcosm of the
world in this century through its role as America's newest melting pot.
Dr. Lee appreciates very much his current post at UCLA and especially the
Department of Radiation Oncology. He believes that much remains to be
explored to fully exploit the tremendous potential UCLA possesses as a
leading academic and medical institute in the world. |
