Dr. Walter Lee is Professor in the Duke Departments of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences and Radiation Oncology. He currently serves as the Department Chief of Staff, Division Chief of Head and Neck Surgery, and Co-Director of the Head and Neck Program in the Duke Cancer Institute.  He is also an affiliate faculty member at the Duke Global Health Institute.

His research interests are focused on two areas.  The first is the development of taking “first world” technology to improve the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancers in patients living in low resource settings.  This has included device development and nanotechnology for early cancer detection. He holds several NIH funded grants that currently work with collaborators in Vietnam, Singapore, and Laos.  The second is a focus on professional formation and leadership development. He was co-creator of a curriculum that is based on a virtue-based approach to leadership and professional development.  He has been awarded the Mentor of the Year awarded by the residents and cited by the Ministry of Health for his contributions in Vietnam. He is active in mentoring and education and many of his former mentees now hold leadership positions in Vietnam.  He is looking forward to working with the trainees and faculty in the Hubert-Yeargan Center.

Dr. Lee earned his Philosophy (Ethics) degree and medical degrees from George Washington University. He completed his Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Residency and his Head and Neck Oncology Research Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Head and Neck Institute. He remained on staff until he was recruited to Duke in 2008.   In 2015, he also earned a Masters in Health Sciences from Duke University.