Benjamin R Lee, MD
Clinical and Translational Oncology Program
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Chair (interim) and Professor
The George W. Drach Endowed Chair in Urology
Department of Urology
Biography
Dr. Benjamin Lee, Professor & Chief (Interim) of Urology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine has focused his career on advancing new treatments for renal cell carcinoma as well as calculus disease, while developing new technologies & techniques for Urologic Oncology & Endourology. He is author or co-author of more than 200 manuscripts, book chapters, videos and abstracts. Dr. Lee graduated from Cornell University magna cum laude. He then attended the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and continued his training at the James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was Assistant Professor at the North Shore Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and then promoted to Associate Professor. He was promoted to Professor with tenure at the Department of Urology at the Tulane University School of Medicine in 2008, and assumed the position of Professor and Chief of Urology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in 2016. He was awarded the prestigious Arthur Smith Award in 2008 for his contributions to the discipline of robotics, laparoscopy, and minimally invasive surgery. He was Organizing Secretary of the 31st World Congress of Endourology which was held in New Orleans, LA in 2013.
Cancer Focus
Dr. Lee's clinical focus has been on Robotic Surgery for Prostate cancer as well as Kidney cancer. His research has focused on methods to identify methods of decreasing recurrence of cancer; explanations why the immune system may be activated differently following laparoscopy compared to open surgery, and has developed nanotechnology applications in urologic disease as well as studies into preserving kidney function during laparoscopic & robotic kidney surgery. More recently, a focus on precision medicine for Molecular profiling of patients with advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma to identify differences in aggressiveness of disease.
Dr. Lee’s research has been recognized by awards from the American Urological Association, The Endourological Society and Urology Journal.
Selected Publications
Chipollini, J., J. R. Wright, H. Nwanosike, C. Y. Kepler, K. Batai, B. R. Lee, P. E. Spiess, D. B. Stewart, and R. Lamendella, "Characterization of urinary microbiome in patients with bladder cancer: Results from a single-institution, feasibility study.", Urol Oncol, vol. 38, issue 7, pp. 615-621, 2020 07. PMID: 32414567
Phung, M. C., A. R. Rouse, J. Pangilinan, R. C. Bell, E. R. Bracamonte, S. Mashi, A. F. Gmitro, and B. R. Lee, "Investigation of confocal microscopy for differentiation of renal cell carcinoma versus benign tissue. Can an optical biopsy be performed?", Asian J Urol, vol. 7, issue 4, pp. 363-368, 2020 Oct. PMCID: PMC7498942 PMID: 32995282
Loloi, J., B. W Shingleton, S. Y. Nakada, R. J. Zagoria, J. Landman, B. R. Lee, S. F. Matin, K. Ahrar, R. J. Leveillee, J. A. Cadeddu, et al., "Management of Residual or Recurrent Disease Following Thermal Ablation of Renal Cortical Tumors.", J Kidney Cancer VHL, vol. 7, issue 2, pp. 1-5, 2020 Jun. PMCID: PMC7331942 PMID: 32665886
Batai, K., A. Harb- De la Rosa, J. Zeng, J. J. Chipollini, F. C. Gachupin, and B. R. Lee, "Racial/ethnic disparities in renal cell carcinoma: Increased risk of early-onset and variation in histologic subtypes.", Cancer Med, vol. 8, issue 15, pp. 6780-6788, 2019 11. PMCID: PMC6826053 PMID: 31509346
Chaus, F. M., M. Craig, E. Bracamonte, S. Sundararajan, and B. R. Lee, "Primary Malignant Melanoma of the Bladder Treated by Robotic Partial Cystectomy and Immunotherapy.", J Endourol Case Rep, vol. 5, issue 4, pp. 151-153, 2019. PMCID: PMC7383443 PMID: 32775650