Provider Spotlight: Dr. Jiyoung Elizabeth Lee
A change of heart led this research based Immunologist to pursue her true passion as a Pediatric Dentist. For Dr. Jiyoung Elizabeth Lee, the latter has been the most fulfilling. “As much as I love research, it gets lonely. It’s just you and your work.” Like many of us, her career path was not a straight line. Dr. Lee completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA, and then attended graduate school at Boston University. Although medical research is pivotal in health care, Dr. Lee realized she wanted to be on the front lines in delivering care – developing relationships with patients became more important to her than scientific research. Dr. Lee, therefore, continued her education, received her Dental degree from Temple University School of Dental Medicine, and completed her pediatric dental training at the Children’s Hospital Boston/Harvard University.
Born in Kansas, Dr. Lee split her childhood between Philadelphia and Korea. She and her husband decided to move across the country and plant their roots in Portland after falling in love with the city. She has since opened two dental practices, Gresham Pediatric Dentistry and Sprout Pediatric Dentistry, and is now a mother of three. When she’s not busy juggling work and home life, she finds serenity in hiking Oregon’s beautiful trails. When asked what she enjoys most about working with children, Dr. Lee stated, “Working with kids keeps you young, they make it fun!”
Thank you, Dr. Lee, for keeping our young Oregonians smiling!
