Vice Chair, Emory Healthcare Board of Directors
Joon S. Lee, MD, serves as Executive Vice President for Health Affairs at Emory University and Chief Executive Officer of Emory Healthcare. In these roles, he provides strategic and operational leadership for Emory’s academic health system, which includes 11 hospitals, more than 500 provider locations, more than nearly 30,000 employees, and over 3,800 physicians practicing in more than 70 specialties.
With a mission of improving lives and providing hope to individuals seeking care at Emory, Dr. Lee is focused on ensuring equitable, compassionate care and access to all members of the community and beyond. In doing so, he continues to build a collaborative and empowered work environment where all team members can advance patient care.
Since joining Emory Healthcare in 2023, Dr. Lee has led efforts to restore financial strength following the COVID-19 pandemic and to strengthen the organization’s clinical, operational and cultural foundations. Under his leadership, Emory Healthcare has experienced a significant financial turnaround, expanded access to primary care across Georgia, improved staff retention and reduced dependency on contract labor. Dr. Lee oversaw a $150 million investment in employee compensation, benefiting more than 21,000 employees. He also has championed the use of data and technology to reduce provider burden and enhance the patient experience.
Dr. Lee also serves as Vice Chair of the Emory Healthcare Board of Directors. He provides governance oversight in partnership with Board Chair John Rice and fellow Board Vice Chair Christopher L. Augostini, Executive Vice President and Enterprise Chief Operating Officer for Emory University and Emory Healthcare.
Dr. Lee brings nearly three decades of academic and executive experience to his work at Emory, including a 29-year career at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, where he served as an interventional cardiologist, clinical researcher, academic leader and physician executive.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and his medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Lee completed his residency and cardiology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.