Raphael Carl Lee facts for kids
Raphael Lee (born 1949) is an American surgeon and a biomedical engineer. This means he uses engineering ideas to solve problems in medicine and biology. He is also 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 Learning
Raphael Carl Lee was born in 1949 in Sumter, South Carolina. He grew up in a family where many people were doctors, including his father, uncles, and cousins.
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 continued his studies, earning a medical degree and a master's degree in biomedical engineering in 1975. He studied at both Drexel University and Temple University School of Medicine.
He then trained to become a surgeon at the University of Chicago Medical Center. He finished this training in 1981. He also earned another advanced degree in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1979. Later, he completed training in plastic surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1983.
During his training, Dr. Lee received several awards for his research. These included the Schering Scholar Award in 1978. He also received the MacArthur Fellowship Award in 1981 and the Searle Scholar Award in 1985. These awards are given to very talented people.
Dr. Lee's Career
Dr. Lee worked as a plastic surgeon in Boston and Chicago. He was often named as a top surgeon in his field. He led the Plastic Surgery department at the West Roxbury VA Hospital in Massachusetts. 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 the Golden Key Award from the University of Chicago. This award recognized his great service to the university.
Combining Surgery and Research
Dr. Lee has always combined his work as a surgeon with his research. His main research focuses on how cells get hurt from physical injuries. This includes injuries from burns and electrical shocks. He has published many scientific papers on these topics.
He has taught at important universities like the 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 led a group that looked at the health and money problems caused by the disaster in Belarus.
Professional Groups and Awards
Dr. Lee is a member of several important medical and engineering groups. These include the Association for Academic Surgery and the American Surgical Association. He has also led the Midwestern Association of Plastic Surgeons. He was also president of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
Because of his scientific work, he was chosen as a Fellow in many groups. These include the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Biomedical Engineering Society. He has also advised groups like 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 has been working on ways to help patients get ready for big surgeries. They also work on how to use control systems in medicine.
Dr. Lee has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He is also a member of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering. He is part of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences too.
Amazing Discoveries
Dr. Lee's main research has always been about how injuries, especially electrical shock injuries, affect the body. He also studies how to treat them. His work has led to several important discoveries.
Cell Repair Technology
In 1992, his lab found a way to seal damaged cell membranes. This was a new way to protect injured cells and tissues. Dr. Lee is known for finding that certain special materials, called block copolymers, can help cells repair themselves. These materials act like natural "stress proteins" in cells. Today, this technology is used to make proteins and in medical treatments.
In 2002, his team found a way to fix enzymes that were damaged by heat. They used special biocompatible block copolymers for this.
Scar Treatment
Dr. Lee and his team were also the first to show that certain medicines can help treat scar contracture diseases. These medicines help the body make more of a substance that can reduce tough scars. This method is now widely used to treat these conditions.
Dr. Lee's research has led to more than 25 patents. These patents are like special rights that protect his inventions. His inventions have helped start several companies. These include Avocet Polymer Technologies, Inc., Maroon Biotech Corp, and Electrokinetic Signal Research, Inc. All of these companies are in Chicago, Illinois.
Chicago Electrical Trauma Rehabilitation Institute
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 how these injuries affect muscles, nerves, and cause pain. The institute is in Chicago and works with many universities.
Awards and Honors
Dr. Lee has received many awards and honors throughout his career:
- Inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society in 1975.
- Inducted into the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society in 1975.
- Inducted into the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society in 1980.
- Schering Scholar in Surgery from the American College of Surgeons.
- Named a Chicago Leading Physician.
- 1981 Fellow of the MacArthur Fellows Program.
- 1985 Scholar of the Searle Scholars Program.
- Distinguished Medical Alumnus Award from Temple University School of Medicine.
- Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
- Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
- Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society.
- Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
- Fellow of the International College of Surgeons.
- Fellow of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons.
- 1995 Lindberg Basic Science Award from the American Burn Association.
- 1998 Awarded Golden Key to City of Shanghai.
- 1996 Lindberg Basic Science Award from the American Burn Association.
- 2018 Pierre Galletti Award from the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering.
- Selected for inclusion in the Library of HistoryMakers.
- Honoree on the South Carolina History Calendar.
Publications
Dr. Lee has written or co-written more than 275 articles for scientific journals and chapters for books. 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) Perspectives in Biology and Medicine - Volume 48, Number 4, Autumn 2005, pp. 616–618.
- M. Capelli-Schellpfeffer, M. and R.C.Lee, "Electrical Shock" in Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Webster, J.G., Ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1998.
- R. C. Lee, "Electrical and Lightning Injuries" in Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 15th Edition, Braunwald et al., eds. McGraw-Hill, New York 2001.
- Raphael C Lee, "Convolving Engineering and Medical Pedagogies for Training of Tomorrow's Health Care Professionals" IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (2013) 60:599, DOI: 10.1109/TBME.2013.2243911.
