Dr. Wei Jei Lee

Professor Lee was trained as a gastro-intestinal surgeon in Taiwan. However, he not only dedicated his time to clinical service but also continuously looked at developing innovative surgical techniques and performed multiple clinical studies. Since 1990 he has moved conventional gastric surgery into the era of laparoscopic surgery. He later developed laparoscopic bariatric surgery for the treatment of severe obesity in Asia in 1997, helping thousands of the Asians with obesity thereafter. He innovated in the surgical treatment of diabetes using laparoscopic gastro-intestinal or metabolic surgery in 2005. Through his effort, this innovation will in turn help millions of diabetic patients worldwide. He is one of the expert committee in IDF 2012 statement about diabetes surgery. Obesity and diabetes are both world epidemics. They are closely related but very difficult to treat. These two diseases were previously neglected in Asia. The nominee is dedicated to the surgical treatment of these diseases. He not only created a new laparoscopic surgical field but also performed the most such surgeries in Asia. It is not easy for a busy surgeon to dedicate his time to clinical study and achieved such a high position in medical science. Diabetes is the most important metabolic disease in Asia now and is developing quickly. The nominee is the pioneer in the surgical treatment of diabetes. He not only innovated in this field but also performed several important prospective randomized trials. He was invited as the primary investigator for the International Diabetes Surgery Study and also organized the Asian multi-institutional diabetes surgery study. He has become a leading worldwide expert in diabetes surgery. This is no simple feat for a local surgeon from a small country like Taiwan.