Rate My Professor Chang Lee

Chang H. Lee, PhD, is Associate Professor of Craniofacial Engineering in the College of Dental Medicine at Columbia University, where he also serves as Director of Research and leads the Regenerative Engineering Lab. He earned his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Inje University in South Korea in 2002 and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University in 2010, followed by postdoctoral training at the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration in the College of Dental Medicine until 2014. Lee's research centers on musculoskeletal and craniofacial tissue regeneration by harnessing endogenous stem/progenitor cells through advanced scaffold systems, controlled-delivery mechanisms, and translational animal models. His expertise includes 3D printed scaffolds, orthopedics and musculoskeletal tissue engineering, and regeneration of orthopedic and dental tissues, with recent advancements in temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder models.

Lee has received significant recognition, including the Mentor of the Year Award from Columbia University College of Dental Medicine (2018), Joseph Lister Award Finalist from the American Association of Dental Research (2018), Podium presentation award (1st place) from the Orthopedic Research Society Meniscus Section (2017), New Investigator Recognition Award from the Orthopedic Research Society (2013), and AADR Hatton Award Finalist (2013). He has secured major grants, such as a $3.8 million, five-year NIDCR award for a patient-specific TMJ-on-a-chip model and co-PI role in a nearly $39 million ARPA-H project for living knee replacement. Key publications include 'Harnessing Endogenous Stem/Progenitor Cells for Tendon Regeneration' (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2015), 'Protein-Releasing Polymeric Scaffolds Induce Fibrochondrocytic Differentiation of Endogenous Cells for Knee Meniscus Regeneration in Sheep' (Science Translational Medicine, 2014), 'Regeneration of the Articular Surface of the Rabbit Synovial Joint by Cell Homing: A Proof of Concept Study' (The Lancet, 2010), and 'CTGF Directs Fibroblast Differentiation from Human Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells and Defines Connective Tissue Healing in a Rodent Injury Model' (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 2010). His research, cited over 2,200 times as of 2017, has been highlighted in the New England Journal of Medicine and selected as top Columbia University Medical Center research. Lee has delivered invited lectures at institutions including New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University School of Dental Medicine, served on NIH study sections (DSR 2018, BTSS 2015), and mentored over 30 students who earned awards like Birnberg and Hatton.