Rate My Professor Gary Lee

Professor Gary Lee is Professor of Respiratory Medicine in the UWA Medical School at the University of Western Australia. He is Director of Pleural Services and Consultant Chest Physician in the Respiratory Department at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Head of the Pleural Medicine Unit and Clinical Co-Director at the Institute for Respiratory Health, NHMRC Leadership Fellow, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, Editor of Respirology, and Head of Department of Respiratory Medicine at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. He holds honorary positions including Professor of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong and Adjunct Professor at Edith Cowan University. Gary Lee graduated with an MBChB from the University of Otago and completed clinical respiratory training in Auckland and Perth. He obtained his PhD as a Fulbright Scholar at Vanderbilt University, followed by Wellcome Trust fellowships as Senior Lecturer and Consultant at the University of Oxford and University College London. Recruited to UWA in 2009, he established the Southern Hemisphere’s first comprehensive pleural program, leading a multidisciplinary team known for innovative translational research.

Professor Lee is a world leader in pleural medicine, focusing on pleural effusions, infections, pneumothorax, mesothelioma, and related conditions affecting 23 million people annually. His work has pioneered therapies such as intrapleural tissue plasminogen activator and DNase, challenged outdated practices, and improved patient outcomes globally. Key publications include the NEJM paper “Intrapleural use of tissue plasminogen activator and DNase in pleural infection” (2011, 994 citations), the Lancet TIME2 trial “Effect of an indwelling pleural catheter vs talc pleurodesis” (2012, 775 citations), the JAMA AMPLE trial on hospitalization days in malignant pleural effusion (2017, 252 citations), and the LENT prognostic score (Chest, 2014, 533 citations). With over 340 publications (H-index 69, >17,000 citations), 10+ papers in NEJM/JAMA/Lancet journals, six books including the award-winning Textbook of Pleural Diseases, and citations in 20+ guidelines, his contributions have secured $22 million in grants including successive NHMRC/MRFF Fellowships. He has delivered 400+ invited lectures across 33 countries and trained 30+ next-generation leaders. Awards include TSANZ Research Medal (2021) and 50th Anniversary Medal for Education (2024), APSR Research Medal (2016), UWA Senior Researcher of the Year (2023), Cancer Council WA Researcher of the Year (2019), Lung Health Legend Award (2025), and WA Premier’s Scientist of the Year finalist (2022).