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At 38, Charles Lee, PhD, will be the youngest recipient of the 2008 Ho-Am Prize in Medicine when the BWH clinical cytogeneticist receives the “Nobel Prize” of Korea in Seoul on June 3.
“I am truly honored and indebted to my hard working lab, wonderfully supportive colleagues and, most of all, my valued collaborators from whom I have learned so much over the years,” said Lee.
Lee’s 2004 discovery of widespread structural genomic variation in humans has revolutionized human genetics. Because of his work, scientists already have associated some of these genetic variations with increased susceptibility to AIDS, autoimmune diseases and cancer.
“Dr. Lee is an excellent example of a new breed of genetic scientist – a translational molecular pathologist,” said Michael Gimbrone, MD, chairman of Pathology. “His basic discovery is not only paradigm-shifting but may well be translated into new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, strengthening the promise of personalized medicine.”
Lee, who came to BWH in 1998 for his clinical cytogenetic training, is an assistant professor of Pathology at BWH and HMS. He was born in South Korea in 1969 and immigrated to Canada when he was a year old.
The Ho-Am Prize was established in 1990 in the memory of the late Byung-chull Lee, founder of the Samsung group of companies, and is awarded annually in five disciplines.