Gordon Lee, MD

Dr. Gordon Lee is a Professor of Plastic Surgery at UC Irvine. Dr. Lee completed his undergraduate at UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in biology and graduated magna cum laude. He attended medical school at Stanford University. He completed a combined residency in General Surgery/Plastic Surgery at UCLA. Dr. Lee was inspired and taught by Dr. William Shaw, a pioneer in plastic and reconstructive microsurgery. After residency, he completed an advanced microsurgery fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2003-2004. Prior to joining the UCI group, Dr. Lee was at Stanford University for 17 years and the Vice-Chief
of Clinical Affairs.

Dr. Lee’s clinical expertise is in reconstruction and microsurgery of the face, breast, extremity, and body. He formed and led the team at Stanford to successfully perform the first combined abdominal wall & small bowel transplant in the Western United States. He works closely with multiple surgical services including Gynecology-Oncology, Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery, Head and Neck Oncology, Surgical Oncology, and Vascular Surgery to perform reconstructive procedures. He performs over 100 microvascular reconstructions for patients with defects throughout the entire body.

Dr. Lee’s research interests include clinical outcomes in breast reconstruction, head and neck, abdominal wall, esophageal, and lower extremity reconstruction. He is a co-investigator on several grants and has received research funding from the Plastic Surgery Foundation. He has published over 190+ manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. He is nationally and internationally known for his clinical work, as well as his accomplishments in surgical education and microsurgery training. He is on the Editorial Board for Annals of Plastic Surgery Microsurgery Section, and Microsurgery journal.

Dr. Lee is the President of the California Society of Plastic Surgeons Educational and Research Foundation (CSPSERF), and President-Elect for the California Society of Plastic Surgeons. He is the Chair of the Leadership Development Committee for the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and leads a course called “Essentials of Leadership” which teaches the principles and practice of leadership to plastic surgeons from around the United States. At Stanford, Dr. Lee was previously the Microsurgery Fellowship Director for over 17 years and was the residency program director for over 10 years. Dr. Lee was awarded the Residency Program Director of the year at Stanford in 2017 and has been the recipient of the Teacher of the Year Award five times, most recently in 2023.

Dr. Lee enjoys working with his patients and his team to provide the best possible reconstructive and aesthetic outcomes.