EP228: Science, Self, and Sisterhood: Insights from Dr. Carolyn Lee

Dr. Carolyn Lee on Comfort Zones, Identity, and Creating Your Own Path in MedicineChristine welcomes her friend and colleague Dr. Carolyn Lee, MD, PhD, a Yale- and Georgetown-trained dermatologist and Stanford residency graduate now at UVA, who is an epithelial biologist and entrepreneur focused on high-risk skin cancer and developing new anti-cancer therapeutics. Lee shares a childhood anecdote about avoiding the unknown and reflects on how growth happens at the edge of comfort, despite intimidation and failure. They discuss juggling multiple identities and interests, parenting mixed-race children after moving from the diverse Bay Area to Charlottesville, and the importance of maintaining hobbies and “many legs” of identity beyond work and family. Lee describes how being an Asian American woman shaped her experiences later in her career, including stereotypes, feeling “betrayed,” and learning to create her own path without templates, ending with advice: take opinions as opinions and do what you want to do.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro01:12 Comfort Zone Story03:05 Growth at the Edge03:42 Wearing Many Hats05:54 Keeping Identity Beyond Work07:25 Asian American in Medicine09:10 Stereotypes and Belonging11:47 No More Templates12:40 Mentor Advice and Wrap Up