Richard K. Lee, MD, PhD, is Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida and has secondary appointments in the Department of Cell Biology and the Neuroscience Graduate Program. He is the Director of Community Ophthalmology and Medical Director for Outpatient Operations for the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI) of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. BPEI is one of the largest academic eye hospitals in the US.

Dr Lee received his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology and his MD from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (UMMSOM) through the Physician Scientist Program. He served his internal medicine internship at UM/Jackson Memorial Hospital, completed a fellowship in viral oncology at the UM/Sylvester Cancer Center, completed his residency in ophthalmology at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (BPEI), and then completed fellowships in clinical glaucoma and glaucoma research at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. 

Dr Lee has written or co-written over 100 book chapters, monographs, and journal articles on subjects relating to glaucoma pathophysiology, treatment clinical outcomes, genetics, proteomics, and cellular and molecular biology. Dr Lee’s major research interests include neovascular and pseudoexfoliation glaucoma, advanced ocular imaging technologies, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of glaucoma, population glaucoma vision screening, and tele-ophthalmology. One of Dr. Lee’s main personal interests is community and international service to improve vision and prevent vision loss through population vision screening and tele-ophthalmology based eye care using portable eye technology in association with national eye societies, such as in Ecuador and Haiti.

Dr. Lee has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the American Glaucoma Society, the Secretariat and Achievement Awards from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the Benjamin F. Boyd Humanitarian Award from the Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology, the James W. Clower, Jr., MD Community Service Award from the Florida Society of Ophthalmology, and has given many named lectureships.

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Terms of Appointment: April 2020 - March 2022;  April 2022 - March 2024