Yoon-Kwang Lee

Dr. Yoon-Kwang Lee is an Associate Professor at the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED), College of Medicine, Department of Integrative Medical Sciences. He holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers University and completed postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and Baylor College of Medicine. His research focuses on metabolic homeostasis, particularly the physiological roles of orphan nuclear hormone receptors such as SHP and Hes6 in non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD). He has been actively investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying lipid metabolism, bile acid regulation, and ethanol-induced liver injury. Dr. Lee is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Cardiology.

His educational background includes a B.S. in Food Engineering and an M.S. in Biotechnology from Yonsei University, Korea, followed by a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from Rutgers University. He teaches the course Molecules to Cells and has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications on metabolic and hepatic disorders.

Dr. Lee’s research highlights include demonstrating how deletion of SHP mitigates hepatic steatosis and exploring the role of Hes6 in inhibiting Pparg2 expression to prevent lipid accumulation. His work bridges basic science and translational medicine, aiming to identify therapeutic targets for metabolic and liver diseases.