Irwin Lee, MD

Bio

I was born in New York. I'm told I stayed blue a little longer than usual and was also born with club foot, so I had to wear some sort of brace for the first few months. I apparently used to clock myself in the head with the crossbar of the brace when I brought my feet up. Maybe that's why I'm left-handed.

My parents immigrated from Taiwan, so winter in New York was tough for them. We moved to Houston when I was only a few months old. I grew up in Houston and was a big fan of all of Houston's pro sports teams. I liked playing basketball and football but was always the shortest kid in class, so I realized early on that I would not make it as a professional athlete. At the time, the best alternative I could think of was to become the team doctor for the Houston Oilers, the football team that has since moved to Tennessee.

After high school, I moved to Boston for the next 12 years for college, graduate school, and medical school. During that time, I met my wife (a pediatrician for Kaiser), got married, and had the first 2 of our 3 girls. (We have no plans for a fourth.) Before any of the kids, I spent some time training monkeys in graduate school, which I think was pretty good preparation for the kids. It wasn't until after graduate school that I discovered that radiation oncology even existed. When I did my med school rotation, I was hooked by the opportunity to have meaningful relationship with patients within a highly technical field. In retrospect, think my wife had told me a few years earlier that I would like radiation oncology, but I wasn't listening at the time.

Next it was on to Michigan for residency. Boston's a great city, but it's hard to raise a family of four in a 700 square foot apartment. Ann Arbor is nice except in the winter, which (sadly) lasts about 5 months. Luckily, another graduate of the Michigan program was already here at Kaiser, so I was recruited to join the group here in 2008, after finishing my residency. My family and I are very happy here in Sonoma County.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

As a radiation oncologist, my role is to help educate patients about their disease and provide a clear understanding of their treatment options. I work as part of a multidisciplinary team, which may also include a medical oncologist and/or surgeon. For patients who choose to undergo radiation treatments, I oversee the planning and delivery of treatment. In addition, I see my patients at least once a week during treatment to ensure that they are doing well with the radiation.

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

I am interested in a variety of diseases including breast, prostate, brain, and head and neck cancers. Overall, however, my strongest interest is in understanding how communication with patients can be improved to help each individual make choices that best match his/her true preferences.

Current projects or research:

I have published papers on prostate cancer, lung cancer, head/neck cancer, and primary brain tumors.

Great health resources that I refer to:

www.nccn.org - provides national concensus guidelines on the management of most cancers

Interests

Currently reading:
Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)

My favorite book or author:
The Paradox of Choice (Barry Schwartz)

Hobby Photos & Links:

Kids #1 and #2 at a Rockets game

Family & Friends

An interesting story about my family or friends:

I really wanted to name my kid Oscar -- after the grouch on Sesame Street -- but my wife wouldn't go for it. I think it's because she didn't think it was a good name for a girl.

Travel