Ellen E. Lee, MD

Ellen E. Lee, MD, is a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist who specializes in treating patients who have dementia with behavioral disturbances and older adults with mood, anxiety and psychotic disorders.

She values the opportunity to care for patients in a patient-centered, holistic and empathetic setting. She considers it an honor to work alongside patients and their families to maintain their quality of life and functioning.

As an assistant professor and division chief in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine, she is involved in the education and mentoring of medical students, residents and fellows. She finds it incredibly rewarding to train the next generation of clinicians and researchers. Her research interests include aging, sleep disturbances and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia, as well as wellbeing in older adults. Her research has been published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Schizophrenia Research and the Journal of Psychiatric Research, among others.

Dr. Lee completed her fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the VA San Diego Healthcare System and UC San Diego School of Medicine. She completed her psychiatry residency at University of Maryland, Sheppard Pratt Hospital. Dr. Lee earned her medical degree from Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University.

She is a member of several professional organizations including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry and the California Psychiatric Association.

In her free time, Dr. Lee enjoys hiking and cooking. She speaks basic Spanish and has a working knowledge of Korean.

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For more information, see Behavioral and Mental Health.