About Dr. Lee
Justine C. Lee, MD, PhD, FACS is a craniofacial plastic surgeon-scientist and holds the Bernard G. Sarnat Endowed Chair in Craniofacial Biology. Her clinical practice spans facial feminization surgery, gender-affirming craniofacial procedures, congenital craniofacial reconstruction, cleft and craniofacial care, and complex facial reconstruction.
She earned her MD and PhD at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, completed her plastic surgery residency at the University of Chicago Medical Center, and trained in advanced craniofacial surgery under Dr. Henry Kawamoto at UCLA before joining the faculty. She is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Her laboratory develops regenerative biomaterials for craniofacial bone, with active programs in mineralized collagen scaffolds, osteoprotegerin delivery, and mechanotransduction. Her outcomes research has generated a substantial published evidence base for facial feminization surgery, informing surgical standards and Medicaid coverage policy across the United States. She has authored over 150 peer-reviewed publications, co-edited a Springer textbook on facial feminization surgery, and founded the UCLA Facial Gender-Affirming Surgery Fellowship.
