Raphael Carl Lee facts for kids
Raphael Lee (born in 1949) is an American doctor who specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery. He is also a biomedical engineer and an inventor. Dr. Lee used to be a special professor at the University of Chicago. He also leads a company called Renacyte BioMolecular Technologies, Inc.
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Early Life and Education
Raphael Carl Lee was born in 1949 in Sumter, South Carolina. Many people in his family, including his father, were doctors. He finished high school in 1967. Then, he went to the University of South Carolina to study electrical engineering. He earned his first degree in electrical engineering in 1971.
Dr. Lee then studied medicine and biomedical engineering at Drexel University and Temple University School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree in 1975. He continued his training in general surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center until 1981. He also earned another science degree in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979. After that, he specialized in plastic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1983.
During his training, Dr. Lee won several awards for his research. These included the Schering Scholar Award in 1978. He also received the MacArthur Fellowship Award in 1981. This is a very special award given to talented people. He also won the Searle Scholar Award in 1985.
Dr. Lee's Career
Dr. Lee worked as a plastic surgeon in Boston and Chicago. He was often named one of the best surgeons in the country. He led the Plastic Surgery department at the West Roxbury VA Hospital. He also directed the Burn Center at the University of Chicago. In 2016, he became a Senior Clinical Scholar at the Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence. In 2020, he received a special award from the University of Chicago for his great service.
Dr. Lee has always combined his work as a surgeon with his research. He mainly studies how cells get hurt from physical injuries. This includes injuries from burns and electricity. He has worked at famous universities like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago. He also worked at the Chicago Electrical Trauma Research Institute.
After the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Dr. Lee helped the UN-WHO Radiation Program. He was part of a group of experts. He even led a team that looked at how the disaster affected people's health in Belarus.
Dr. Lee is a member of many important medical groups. These include the Association for Academic Surgery and the American Surgical Association. He used to be the president of the Midwestern Association of Plastic Surgeons. He also led the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. Because of his scientific work, he became a Fellow of many groups. These include the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Biomedical Engineering Society. He has also served on important committees for the National Institute of Health.
In 1988, Dr. Lee and Michael Kolodney won the James Barrett Brown Award. They received it for their work on how electrical shocks hurt the body. More recently, his team is working on new ways to help patients get ready for big surgeries. They are also looking at how to use control systems in medicine.
Dr. Lee has been chosen to be a member of several top academies. These include the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Amazing Scientific Discoveries
Dr. Lee's main research focuses on how injuries, especially electrical shocks, affect the body. He also studies how to treat them. His work has led to several important discoveries.
In 1992, his lab found a way to seal damaged cell membranes. This was a completely new way to protect injured cells and tissues. Dr. Lee is known for finding out how certain special materials, called block copolymers, can help cells heal themselves. These materials act like natural "stress proteins" in cells. Today, this technology is used in making proteins and in medical treatments.
In 2002, his team found a way to fix damaged enzymes using these special materials. Enzymes are like tiny workers in our bodies. Dr. Lee and his co-workers also found that certain medicines can help treat scar contracture diseases. These diseases make scars tight and hard. This treatment is now widely used.
Dr. Lee's research has led to more than 25 patents. Patents protect his inventions. His inventions have helped start several companies in Chicago. These include Avocet Polymer Technologies, Inc., Maroon Biotech Corp, and Electrokinetic Signal Research, Inc.
Dr. Lee also helped start the Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute. This group focuses on understanding and treating people who have been hurt by electrical shocks. They study nerve, brain, and pain problems. This institute is in Chicago and works with many universities.
Selected Awards
- Inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, 1975
- Inducted into the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society, 1975
- Inducted into the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society, 1980
- Schering Scholar in Surgery, American College of Surgeons
- Named a Leading Physician in Chicago
- 1981 Fellow, MacArthur Fellows Program
- 1985 Scholar, Searle Scholars Program
- Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award, Temple University School of Medicine
- Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
- Life Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Fellow, Biomedical Engineering Society
- Fellow, American College of Surgeons
- Fellow, International College of Surgeons
- Fellow, American Association of Plastic Surgeons
- 1995 Lindberg Basic Science Award, American Burn Association
- 1998 Awarded Golden Key to City of Shanghai
- 1996 Lindberg Basic Science Award, American Burn Association
- 2018 Pierre Galletti Award, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
- Selected for inclusion in the Library of HistoryMakers
- Honoree, South Carolina History Calendar
Works
Dr. Lee has written or co-written over 275 journal articles and book chapters. Here are a few examples:
- Raphael C Lee and Anna Chien, "The Doctor's Plague: Germs, Childbed Fever, and the Strange Story of Ignac Semmelweis." (Book Review) in Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 2005.
- M. Capelli-Schellpfeffer, M. and R.C.Lee, "Electrical Shock" in Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, 1998.
- R. C. Lee, "Electrical and Lightning Injuries" in Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 2001.
- Raphael C Lee, "Convolving Engineering and Medical Pedagogies for Training of Tomorrow's Health Care Professionals" in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2013.
