Ji Eun Lee, MD

Ji Eun Lee, M.D., M.B.S. is a family medicine physician with a clinical interest in geriatric medicine. She earned her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and completed family medicine residencies at MyMichigan Medical Center—Gratiot and University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. She also completed a Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center in Orange. She has been involved with clinical research that looks at issues facing caregivers of people with dementia and fall risk in the elderly.

Dr. Lee says she chose family medicine because of its breadth of scope and the relationships that she forms with her patients, even during the very first office visit. “The impact from these relationships has been bidirectional where I am deeply changed as well,” she says. “The field of family medicine allows me to take a look at the entire person and his/her relationship to family, job environment, and community. As a result, I don’t treat diseases, but human beings in their individual contexts, life histories and values.”

It is those connections that give Dr. Lee the greatest satisfaction in her work. “The tears shed and stories shared in the privacy of a patient room remind me what a privilege it is to share an intimate part of each patient’s life,” she notes. Outside of a patient room, Dr. Lee believes in advocating for her patients with other physicians and providers across disciplines.

Dr. Lee enjoys volunteering at the Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange and at health fairs. She has completed medical missions to Honduras and Mexico. She is a member of both the American Academy of Family Physicians and American Geriatrics Society.

Dr. Lee was born and raised in South Korea until her teenage years, when her family immigrated to the U.S. She speaks fluent Korean. Outside of medicine, her self-care interests include walking in nature, reading novels written by minority authors, and spending time with family and friends.

“The longer I am in this field, the more I realize how important it is to take the time to hear my patients out,” she says. “Also, it is so important to follow up on tasks. The additional minutes spent are never wasted. I take pride in the individuation of the medical care that I provide to my patients.”