Dr. Lee spent her childhood in Texas and received her MD PhD from Loma Linda University School of Medicine as a graduate of the Medical Scientist Training Program. Her thesis focused on the study of Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Proteins (IGFBPs) and their regulation in bone. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital and continued her IGFBP studies with Dr. Pinchas Cohen in cancer models at UCLA during her Pediatric Endocrinology fellowship. During her fellowship, the laboratory cloned a novel mitochondria-derived peptide, Humanin, as an IGFBP-3 binding partner. Her research laboratory continues to investigate the cell biology of this molecule and its use as a cytoprotective agent in various inflammatory and oxidative stress models of childhood disease.