Chuan Mei Lee

Dr. Chuan Mei Lee is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She is affiliated with the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences and works clinically as a child and adolescent psychiatrist providing outpatient consultation to pediatric primary care providers at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital (ZSFG). Additionally, she serves as Associate Director leading Research and Program Evaluation at the California Child and Adolescent Mental Health Portal (Cal-MAP), which offers remote mental health consultation services to pediatric primary care providers across California.

Education:

• Stanford University: BA in Human Biology
• Stanford University: MA in Modern Thought and Literature
• Harvard Medical School: MD in Medicine
• UCSF: Residency in Psychiatry
• UCSF: Fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Stanford CERC Fellowship: Health System Design
• UCSF: Fellowship in Public Psychiatry

Dr. Lee's research focuses on scaling up mental health services delivery, integrating mental health services into pediatric primary care, and improving access to quality care for vulnerable populations. Her work employs Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data to address critical child mental health services questions. She investigates innovative delivery models, health system design, and economic analyses to improve mental healthcare accessibility and effectiveness.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly activity with a focus on pediatric mental health integration, health services research, and healthcare economics. Recent work emphasizes digital health equity, sustainable financing models for child behavioral health, and adapting services during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Her research spans clinical psychiatry, public health, medical informatics, and healthcare policy with particular attention to vulnerable populations and system-level interventions.

Dr. Lee collaborates extensively with researchers at UCSF and beyond, particularly with colleagues from the California Child and Adolescent Mental Health Portal. Her work has been cited across multiple platforms including news outlets, social media, and academic sharing services, demonstrating real-world impact of her research on mental health policy and practice.

She leads research and program evaluation efforts at Cal-MAP, focusing on evidence-based approaches to improve child and adolescent mental health services across California. Her work bridges clinical practice, research, and health policy to create sustainable systems for mental healthcare delivery.