About Dr. Lee
Dr. Lee is a categorical resident in general surgery. He graduated with honors with a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania where he double majored in Molecular and Cell Biology and Nutrition Science and minored in Chemistry. He received his M.D. from the University of Maryland School of Medicine where he was elected into the Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) honor society. He has had strong research interests in the gut microbiome since he was an undergraduate student and plans to pursue a career as an academic surgeon studying the role of the gut microbiome in cancer and surgical outcomes.
Education
2020 - 2024
MD - University of Maryland School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland
2015 - 2019
BA - University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Societies
- American College of Surgeons
Awards
2024
Dean’s Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research
University of Maryland School of Medicine
2024
Dr. Hans R. Wilhelmsen Award for Excellence in Surgery (Highest academic record in surgery)
University of Maryland School of Medicine
2024
David R. Gens, MD, Shock Trauma Endowed Scholarship
University of Maryland School of Medicine
2023
1st Place Basic Science Research Presentation
American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress Medical Student Program, Boston, MA
2023
Certificate of Outstanding Achievement
University of Maryland School of Medicine Foundation of Research and Critical Thinking
2023
Love of Learning Award
Phi Kappa Phi
2023
Alpha Omega Alpha
University of Maryland School of Medicine
2022
Top Poster of Distinction
American Society of Transplant Surgeons 22nd Annual State of the Art Summer-Winter Symposium, Miami, FL
2022
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
University of Maryland School of Medicine
2021
Presidential Student Mentorship Grant
American Society of Transplant Surgeons
2021
Merit Research Award Grant
Program for Research Initiated by Students and Mentors, University of Maryland School of Medicine
2019
Distinction/Honors in Biology
University of Pennsylvania
2017
Ruth Marcus Kanter Research Grant
University of Pennsylvania
2016
Penn Undergraduate Research Mentoring Grant
University of Pennsylvania
Research
2021 - 2023
Department of Surgery, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
PI: Jonathan Bromberg, MD, PhD
Description: Effect of gut microbiota on innate and adaptive immunity, and transplant outcomes.
2016 - 2019
Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
PI: Jun (Jay) Zhu, PhD
Description: Vibrio cholera and Klebsiella pneumonia gene expression, pathogenesis, and survival in the gut microbiota/host enteric environment.
Publications
Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Piao W, Lee ZL, Zapas G, Wu L, Jewell CM, Abdi R, Bromberg JS. Regulatory T Cell and Endothelial Cell Cross Talk: Targeting Treg Migration in Inflammation and Cancer. Nature Reviews Immunology (Under Review).
- Gavzy SJ, Kensiski A, Saxena V, Lakhan R, Hittle L, Iyyathurai J, Wu L, Dhakal H, Lee ZL, Li L, Lee Y, Zhang T, Lwin HW, Shirkey MW, Paluskievicz CM, Piao W, Mongodin EF, Ma B, Bromberg JS. Early Immunomodulatory Program Triggered by Pro-Tolerogenic Bifidobacterium pseudolongum Drives Cardiac Transplant Outcomes. Transplantation 2024; online ahead of print. DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000004939.
- Gavzy SJ, Kensiski A, Lee ZL, Mongodin EF, Ma B, Bromberg JS. Bifidobacterium Mechanisms of Immune Modulation and Tolerance. Gut Microbes 2023; 15(2):2291164. DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2291164.
- Lee ZL, Cooper L, Goldberg E, Curtin B, Brown RF. Benefit of Surgical Treatment for Management of Uncomplicated, Recurring Small Bowel Diverticulitis. The American Surgeon 2023; 89(12):6325-6327. DOI: 10.1177/00031348231173966.
- Mongodin EF, Saxena V, Iyyathurai J, Lakhan R, Ma B, Silverman E, Lee ZL, Bromberg JS. Chronic Rejection as a Persisting Phantom Menace in Organ Transplantation: A New Hope in the Microbiota? Current Opinion in Organ Transplantation 2021; 26(6):567-581. DOI: 10.1097/MOT.0000000000000929.
- Zhou Y, Lee ZL, Zhu J. On or Off: Life-Changing Decisions Made by Vibrio cholerae under Stress. Infectious Microbes and Diseases 2020; 2(4):127-135. DOI: 10.1097/IM9.0000000000000037.
- Jiang HH, Zhou Y, Liu M, Larios-Valencia J, Lee Z, Wang H, Gao XH, Zhu J. Vibrio cholerae Virulence Activator ToxR Regulates Manganese Transport and Resistance to Reactive Oxygen Species. Infection and Immunity 2020; 88(3):e00944-19. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00944-19.
Abstracts
- Arcerito M, Lee ZL, Kamberi S, Habib JR, Alvarez-Casas J, Malik S, Shetty K, Maluf D, Bhati C, Meier RP. Hepatocellular Carcinoma Exacerbates Adverse Outcomes of Long Cold Ischemia Time in Liver Transplantation. Am. J. Transplant. (2023) 23(6) (suppl 1):732.
- Wu L, Gavzy SJ, Kensiski A, Lakhan R, Li L, Iyyathurai J, Lee ZL, Bromberg JS. Immunosuppressants Regulate Immunity by Altering Lymph Node Structure. J Immunol. (2023) 210(1_Supplement):173.29. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.210.Supp.173.29.
- Gavzy SJ, Kensiski A, Lakhan R, Iyyathurai J, Lee ZL, Wu L, Li L, Saxena V, Mongodin E, Ma B, Bromberg JS. Pro-tolerogenic Gut Microbiota Induce Rapid and Distinct Gut Metabolic Changes After Cardiac Allografting. J Immunol. (2023) 210(1_Supplement): 173.27. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.210.Supp.173.27.
- Gavzy SJ, Lakhan R, Iyyathurai J, Saxena V, Lee ZL, Ma B, Mongodin E, Bromberg JS. CCR2 Antagonism Blocks Microbiota Pro-Inflammatory Effects on Lymph Node Architecture. Am. J. Transplant. (2022) 22(suppl 3):884-885.
- Gavzy SJ, Lakhan R, Iyyathurai J, Saxena V, Lee ZL, Ma B, Mongodin E, Bromberg JS. Pro- and Anti-Tolerogenic Microbiota Induce Distinct Gut Microbiome Metabolic Pathways and Loco-Regional Immune Responses. Am. J. Transplant. (2022) 22(suppl 3):918.
- Lee ZL, Iyyathurai J, Lakhan R, Saxena V, Gavzy SJ, Bromberg JS. Differential Dendritic Cell Recruitment Induced by the Gut Microbiota in Cardiac Transplantation. Am. J. Transplant. (2022) 22(suppl 1):68. DOI: 10.1111/ajt.16915.
Oral Presentations
- Lee ZL, Gavzy SJ, Iyyathurai J, Lakhan R, Saxena V, Mongodin EF, Ma B, Bromberg JS. Gut Microbiota Species Differentially and Directly Affect Regulatory T Cell Recruitment to Secondary Lymphoid Organs in a Transplant Surgery Model. American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress, Boston, MA, October 2023.
- Newland JJ, Sundel MH, Cahn MD, Blackburn KW, Lee Z, Hu Y, Bafford AC. Disparities in Use of Minimally Invasive Surgical Management of Rectal Cancer. Chesapeake Colorectal Society Annual Spring Scientific Session, Vienna, VA, April 2023.
- Lee ZL, Iyyathurai J, Lakhan R, Saxena V, Bromberg JS. Gut Microbiota-Induced Effects on Gut Permeability and Solid Organ Transplantation Outcomes. Association for Academic Minority Physicians 35th Annual Scientific Meeting, Virtual National Meeting, October 2021.
Poster Presentations
- Lee ZL, Iyyathurai J, Lakhan R, Saxena V, Gavzy SJ, Bromberg JS. Differential Dendritic Cell Recruitment Induced by the Gut Microbiota in Cardiac Transplantation. American Society of Transplant Surgeons 22nd Annual State of the Art Summer Winter Symposium, Miami, FL, August 2022.
- Lee ZL, Larios-Valencia J, Zhu J. Identifying a NO Detoxification Regulator using S-Nitrosylation in Vibrio cholerae. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Undergraduate Research Symposium, New York, NY, September 2017.
- Lee Z, Song J, Zhu J. Effect of Enterobacteria on K. pneumoniae Mucosity and Colistin Resistance. UPenn Undergraduate Research Symposium, Philadelphia, PA, February 2017.