Get to Know Dr. Amy Lee
As part of our 50th anniversary celebration, The Pulse has reached out to several long-time employees to share their stories, experiences and memories as NEOMED has continued to grow. Amy Lee, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A., professor of family and community medicine, and program director, Consortium of Eastern Ohio Master of Public Health, is a 1988 graduate of NEOMED (when it was the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine) who returned to her alma mater as a faculty member in 1996.
What was your first role at the University?
I started as an assistant professor in the Division of Community Health Sciences and have since been promoted to professor. I am also currently the program director for the Consortium of Eastern Ohio Master of Public Health.
What led you to NEOMED?
I had just graduated with my M.P.H. and M.B.A. in 1996, and I completed a preventive medicine residency (after getting my M.D. from NEOMED in 1988 and completing an OB/GYN residency in 1992). Dr. C. William Keck hired me to create a consortial M.P.H. program among five universities.
What do you remember about your first week at NEOMED?
I locked myself out of the department on the second day because I was late coming back from a meeting! I have since learned to carry my keys with me.
What is your favorite NEOMED tradition? Why?
We used to have a chocolate festival and chili cook-off. These were fun events! The current tradition that I enjoy is watching our Step and Sway Ballroom students performing at the NEOMED Aesculapius Charity Ball!
Besides the most visible changes – such as adding a College of Pharmacy or changing the name from NEOUCOM – what are some of the most impactful changes you’ve seen over the years at NEOMED?
Of course, the physical changes of the building are most evident, especially since when I was a student here from 1984-1988, the entire north ground floor section, including half of the library, Meshel, G building, and the NEW Center did not exist! However, I believe the most impactful changes have been the emergence of the College of Graduate Studies and the marks each president has made on the footprint, partnerships and programming of NEOMED.
Are there any changes that had particular meaning for you? What and in what way?
The College of Graduate Studies has particular meaning for me because it meant that NEOMED could now have graduate students. I had been running the M.P.H. program since 1999, and we finally were able to have NEOMED M.P.H. students, starting in 2011!
What is your favorite place on the NEOMED campus that did not exist when you started?
I love the NEW Center — I can eat, exercise, do my banking, get physical therapy and pick up prescriptions — all without leaving campus!
Who is one of your biggest mentors during your time at NEOMED? How did they impact your career?
C. William Keck M.D., M.P.H., was and still is my mentor. He opened the doors to my career in public health by believing in me. He offered me a job at the Akron Health Department when I started my M.P.H. and M.B.A. program and then hired me to work at NEOMED after I graduated. I attribute my leadership positions to him, which included being president of the Ohio Public Health Association and a member of the Council on Education for Public Health; I am currently on the boards for the American Public Health Association and Public Health Foundation. He has been my advocate and very dear friend through my entire public health journey.
What’s your best, most touching or funniest NEOMED story?
I will go for a funny story – here’s a video. ‘Nuf said? I ran out of storage space on my phone filming this one – I had to delete a bunch of photos to complete this video!
How has the field changed since you started at NEOMED? Give one or two examples.
Yikes! What hasn’t changed? The field of academia has changed — the teaching techniques (I am having fun with technology) and the learners that we teach have changed (from millennials to Gen Z). Also, medicine and public health have changed — we never mentioned the concept of “social determinants” in 1996!
Anything else you’d like add?
This will be my 28th year working here at NEOMED. My favorite part about being here is the people — faculty, staff and students!