Email

justin.lee@bcm.edu

Positions

Assistant Professor

Neurosurgery and Neuroscience
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX

Addresses

BCM-Smith Medical Research Bldg (Lab)

1 Baylor Plaza
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Baylor College of Medicine (Clinic)

Department of Neurosurgery
7200 Cambridge St.
Houston, TX 77030
United States

Education

MD from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons

New York, NY

PhD from Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

New York, NY

Neurobiology

Residency at University of Southern California Neurosurgery

Los Angeles, CA

Research Fellowship at City of Hope National Medical Center

Duarte, CA

Professional Statement

Dr. Justin Lee is a neurosurgeon-scientist specialized in the evaluation and treatment of complex spinal disorders. He completed his medical and doctoral degrees through the Medical Scientist Training Program at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where he was granted the NIH-funded Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award. Dr. Lee then completed his neurosurgical residency at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC). During his neurosurgical training, he was awarded the NIH/NINDS R25 grant and worked as a visiting scientist at City of Hope National Medical Center in the Center for Gene Therapy. Dr. Lee also received advanced training in minimally invasive and complex spine surgery through the enfolded AO spine fellowship at USC. His current research focuses on the development of cell and gene therapy for spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders.

Treatment philosophy: Dr. Lee aims to utilize cutting-edge neurosurgical techniques including the least invasive methods necessary to optimize long-term patient outcomes. He seeks to empower each patient with the knowledge to fully understand his or her therapeutic options in order to create a patient-centered and individualized treatment plan. He provides the same level of care to each patient that he would provide to a family member or friend.

Professional Interests:
Complex spine surgery
Minimally invasive spine surgery
Adult spinal deformity
Cervical degenerative disease
Artificial disc replacement
Thoracic disc disease
Lumbar degenerative disease
Spinal tumor surgery
Spinal trauma
Spinal cord injury
Failed back syndrome
Revision spine surgery

Research Interests:
Cell and gene therapy
Extracellular vesicle biology
Extracellular vesicle modification and therapeutic development
Spinal cord injury
Traumatic brain injury
Stroke
Neurodegenerative disease
Neuronal plasticity and regeneration

Selected Publications

• Lee JC, Chung WK, Pisapia DJ, Henderson CE. "Motor pool selectivity of neuromuscular degeneration in type I spinal muscular atrophy is conserved between human and mouse." Hum Mol Genet.. 2024 Dec; Pubmed PMID: 39690843
• Lee JC, Ray RM, Scott TA. "Prospects and challenges of tissue-derived extracellular vesicles." Mol Ther.. 2024 Jun 22;4(32(9)):2950-2978. Pubmed PMID: 38910325
• Iascone DM, Henderson CE, Lee JC. "Spinal muscular atrophy: from tissue specificity to therapeutic strategies." F1000Prime Rep.. 2015 Jan 5;7(04) Pubmed PMID: 25705387
• Lam J, Lee J, Liu CY, Lozano AM, Lee DJ. "Deep Brain Stimulation for Alzheimer's Disease: Tackling Circuit Dysfunction.." Neuromodulation.. 2020 Dec 30;24(2):171-186. Pubmed PMID: 33377280

Memberships

Congress of Neurological Surgeons

Fellow

American Association of Neurological Surgeons

AO Spine North America

North American Spine Society

Funding

Optimization of stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles as a potential therapeutic for spinal cord injury

Mission Connect/TIRR Foundation