Jay M. Lee, MD

Academic and Clinical Appointments

• Surgical Director, UCLA Thoracic Oncology Program | Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Member | UCLA Sarcoma Program / Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Associate Professor of Surgery (Tenure Track)
• (Previous) Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery 
• (Previous) Chief, Section of Thoracic Surgery, Division of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery
• (Previous) Surgical Director | Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health
• (Previous) Director | Center for Esophageal Disorders

Additional Education

• Research Fellowship, Thoracic Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1999-2001

National and International Service

• Committee Member, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Japanese Association of Thoracic Surgery (JATS) Fellowship Committee, 2021-2025
• Steering Committee. INTerpath-002 (Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo- and Active-Comparator-Controlled Clinical Study of Adjuvant V940 (mRNA-4157) Plus Pembrolizumab Versus Adjuvant Placebo Plus Pembrolizumab in Participants with Resected Stage II-IIIB (N2) Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (V940-002; Merck), 2023
• Steering Committee. Phase 3 Randomized Open-Label Study of Adjuvant Pembrolizumab with or without MK-2870 in Resectable Stage II to IIIB (N2) NSCLC for Participants not Achieving pCR after Receiving Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab with Platinum based Doublet Chemotherapy Followed by Surgery (MK2870-019; Merck), 2023
• Co-chair and Steering Committee. Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind Study of Tiragolumab plus Atezolizumab Compared with Placebo plus Atezolizumab in Participants with Completely Resected Stage IIB, IIIA, or Select IIIB, PD-L1 positive, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Who Have Received Adjuvant Platinum-based Chemotherapy (Skyscraper-15; Roche/ Genentech), 2023
• Steering Committee. NeoKAN Trial (Phase 2 trial of neoadjuvant adagrasib in resectable NSCLC; Mirati and Johns Hopkins), 2022-2023
• Steering Committee. GEOMETRY-N Trial (Phase 2 trial of perioperative capmatinib in resectable NSCLC; Novartis), 2020-2023
• Steering Committee. Lung Cancer Mutational Consortium 4 (LCMC4), 2021
• Member, Annual Meeting Scientific Program Committee, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), 2018-2021
• Chair, Early Stage/Localized Disease Program Committee.  International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2020 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), 2020
• Steering Committee/Surgical Chair. Genentech/Lung Cancer Mutational Consortium 4 (Genentech/LCMC4) Trial (NAUTIKA Trial), 2019
• Steering Committee/Surgical Chair. Novartis/CANOPY-N Trial, 2019
• Member, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) Foundation Advisory Council, 2019
• Member, Education Committee, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), 2018-2019
• Member, Annual Meeting Abstract Committee, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), 2017-2018
• General Thoracic Chair, Video Committee, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), 2015-2017
• Thoracic Surgery Co-Chair. Lung Cancer Mutational Consortium 3 (LCMC3). Genentech Trial ML39236, 2016
• Examiner, American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) General Thoracic Consultant Subcommittee, 2013-2015
• Examiner, American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) General Thoracic Oral Board Exam, 2013-2015
• Member, Basic and Translational Science Committee, American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG), 2011-2013
• Examiner, American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS) General Thoracic Consultant Subcommittee, 2011-2012

Scientific Sessions

• Faculty, Therapy for Early-Stage NSCLC. 24th Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Santa Monica, CA, 2024
• Faculty, Therapy for Early-Stage NSCLC. 23rd Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).  Santa Monica, CA, 2023
• Panel Speaker, Late Breaking Updates in Thoracic Oncology - What's Coming. 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS).  Los Angeles, CA, 2023
• Panel Speaker, Seminars Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery Roundtable Invitation on “Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy for Lung Cancer.” 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). Los Angeles, CA, 2023
• Faculty, MaTOS Masters in Thoracic Oncology Summit.  Ana Pueblo, NM, 2023
• Chair, Therapy for Early Stage NSCLC. 22nd Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Virtual, 2022
• Panelist, Therapy for Early Stage NSCLC. 21st Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Virtual, 2021
• Faculty, 20th Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Santa Monica, CA, 2020
• Faculty, 73rd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery (JATS). Nagoya, Japan, 2020
• Chair, Early Stage/Localized Disease Program Committee. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) 2020 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). Singapore, 2020
• Faculty, 19th Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Santa Monica, CA, 2019
• Faculty, Annual Meeting, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Chicago, IL, 2019
• Faculty, 2019 Annual Mesothelioma Meeting, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). New York, NY, 2019
• Faculty, 2019 World Congress on Lung Cancer. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Barcelona, Spain, 2019
• Discussant, 2019 World Congress on Lung Cancer. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Barcelona, Spain, 2019
• Moderator, 19th Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Santa Monica, CA, 2019
• Faculty, 18th Lung Cancer Targeted Therapies Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Santa Monica, CA, 2018
• Faculty, Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Madrid, Spain, 2018
• Faculty, Focus on Thoracic Surgery: Mastering Surgical Innovation. American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). Las Vegas, NV, 2017
• Instructor; Society of Thoracic Surgeons 52nd Annual Meeting. Course #8: Advanced Open Esophageal and Tracheal Procedures. Phoenix, AZ, 2016
• Discussant, General Thoracic Surgery, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 96th Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD, 2016
• Moderator, General Thoracic Surgery, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 96th Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD, 2016
• General Session Faculty, American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) Annual Meeting. Los Angeles, CA, 2016
• Instructor; Society of Thoracic Surgeons 51st Annual Meeting. Course #9: Advanced Esophageal and Tracheal Procedures. San Diego, CA, 2015
• Moderator, General Thoracic Surgery, American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 95th Annual Meeting. Seattle, WA, 2015
• Moderator and Discussant (Invited); American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 94th Annual Meeting. Toronto, ON, Canada, 2014
• Instructor; Society of Thoracic Surgeons 49th Annual Meeting. Course #8: Novel Techniques in Esophageal and Tracheal Surgery. Los Angeles, CA, 2013
• Discussant; American College of Surgeons 97th Annual Clinical Congress. San Francisco, CA, 2013
• Moderator and Discussant; American College of Surgeons 97th Annual Clinical Congress. San Francisco, CA, 2011
• Discussant; American College of Surgeons 96th Annual Clinical Congress. Surgical Forum - Cardiothoracic Surgery III. Washington, DC, 2010

Biography

Jay M. Lee, MD, is the Surgical Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program, and Associate Professor of Surgery (Tenure Track) at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  He has previously held other leadership positions including Chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery, Chief, Section of Thoracic Surgery, and Surgical Director of the Robert G. Kardashian Center for Esophageal Health.  Dr. Lee's clinical, research, and academic focus is in all aspects of thoracic oncology.  He is an internationally recognized thoracic surgical oncologist, especially in new drug development and clinical trials in lung cancer.

He received his medical degree from UCLA and General Surgery training at Georgetown and Duke University Medical Centers.  He completed a Thoracic Research Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and received Thoracic Surgery training at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital Boston at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Lee has published extensively in the field of thoracic oncology and has a funded research laboratory.  His scientific effort has focused on translational trials involving investigator-initiated immunotherapy in human lung cancer and modulation of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.  He is the Principal Investigator of the “Combined Gene modified dendritic cell therapy and PD-1 inhibition for lung cancer” trial, which is patented at UCLA.

Dr. Lee is or has served on the Steering/Executive Committee of several neoadjuvant or perioperative immunotherapy or targeted therapy trials in resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) including LCMC3 (atezolizumab), CANOPY-N (canakinumab and/or pembrolizumab), NAUTIKA1 (alectinib, entrectinib, vemurafenib plus cobimetinib, pralsetinib, or stereotactic body radiation therapy plus atezolizumab, divarasib), GEOMETRY-N (capmatinib), and Neo-KAN (adagrasib with nivolumab). 

Dr. Lee is the Study Co-Chair for Skyscraper-15 (phase 3 trial of adjuvant atezolizumab and tiragolumab). He is on the Scientific Advisory Committee for two phase 3 pembrolizumab trials: perioperative MK2870 (TROP2-ADC) and adjuvant V940 (personalized mRNA cancer vaccine; INTerpath-002 trial) with pembrolizumab.

Dr. Lee is on the Executive Committee of the LCMC4/LEADER trial to define driver mutations in early stage NSCLC.  Dr. Lee is an author on numerous abstracts and manuscripts of clinical trials including LCMC3, IMpower 010 (adjuvant atezolizumab), and NAUTIKA1.

Dr. Lee is Board-certified by the American Board of Surgery (ABS) and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery (ABTS). He is a member of many professional organizations, and serves on leadership committees for the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).  Dr. Lee serves on several editorial boards of prestigious journals.

Selected Lectures and Presentations

1. “Role of Immunotherapy – Checkpoint Inhibitors.” Focus on Thoracic Surgery: Mastering Surgical Innovation 2017. American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). Las Vegas, NV. Oct 28, 2017.
2. “Neoadjuvant immuno-oncology for NSCLC.” 18th Annual Targeted Therapies Lung Cancer Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Santa Monica, CA. February 22, 2018.
3. “Neoadjuvant immuno-oncology for NSCLC.” Lung Cancer Immunotherapy Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Madrid, Spain. March 24, 2018.
4. “How are Genomics Relevant to the practicing lung cancer surgeon.” Clinical Congress 2018. American College of Surgeons (ACS). Boston, MA October 22, 2018.
5. “Neoadjuvant Atezolizumab (LCMC3) and Pembrolizumab.” 19th Annual Targeted Therapies Lung Cancer Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Santa Monica, CA. February 22, 2019.
6. “What the Thoracic Surgeon Needs to know about Check Point inhibition.” Roundtable Discussion. American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) 99th Annual Meeting. Toronto, CA. May 5, 2019.
7. “Is Neoadjuvant or Adjuvant Immunotherapy in Our Future for Resected NSCLC?” Education Session. 2019 Annual Meeting. American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Chicago, IL. June 3, 2019.
8. “Extrapleural Pneumonectomy vs. No Extrapleural Pneumonectomy in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.” 2019 Mesothelioma Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). New York, NY. July 11, 2019.
9. “Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab in Resectable, Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.” 2019 Mesothelioma Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). New York, NY. July 11, 201
10. “Is Neoadjuvant or Adjuvant Immunotherapy in Our Future for Resectable NSCLC?” UCLA Surgery Grand Rounds. Los Angeles, CA. July 17, 2019.
11. “Localization Techniques for Subsolid Nodules.” MyTube: Pushing the Limits of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery and Avoiding Pitfalls. 56th Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. New Orleans, LA. January 26, 2020.
12. “Canakinumab in Surgically Resectable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.” 20th Annual Targeted Therapies Lung Cancer Meeting. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). Santa Monica, CA. February 21, 2020.
13. Speaker, “Immunotherapy (IO) in stage III NSCLC.” European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC). European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO). Virtual. March 25-27, 2021.
14. Keynote speaker, “Neoadjuvant treatment (immunotherapy and targeted therapy) options in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.” Thoracic Oncology of Australasia Group (TOGA) Annual Scientific Meeting. July 22-23, 2021. Sydney, Australia.
15. Keynote speaker, “Thoracic Surgery in Locally Advanced NSCLC.” 6th Annual Middle East and Africa Oncology Summit. Virtual. October 21 and 23, 2021. Egypt.
16. Invited speaker, “Updates on Lung Cancer Surgery: Thoracic Surgical Oncologic Perspective.” Society of Interventional Oncology. Annual Scientific Meeting. March 24-28, 2022. San Francisco, CA. USA.
17. Keynote speaker, “Integration of the new adjuvant therapies into clinical practice for resectable NSCLC: what is the role of the surgeon.” Einstein International Congress on Robotic Thoracic Surgery. Abram Szajman Center for Health Education at the Albert Einstein Israeli Institute for Education and Research. June 17, 2022. Sao Paulo, Brazil.
18. Invited Speaker. “IMpower 010:  Adjuvant atezolizumab in resectable NSCLC.”  48th Annual Meeting of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association. June 24, 2022. Koloa, HI. USA.
19. Grand Rounds Speaker, UCLA Department of Surgery – “Neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and perioperative clinical trials. September 28, 2022. Los Angeles, CA. USA.
20. Invited Speaker.  “IMpower 010:  Adjuvant atezolizumab in resectable NSCLC.”  American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) / International Thoracic Surgical Oncology Summit.  September 20, 2022. New York, NY. USA.
21. Invited Speaker. ADAURA: Adjuvant osimertinib in EGFR mutant NSCLC. DAVA Oncology’s Best Practices in Lung Cancer Meeting. October 19, 2022. (Virtual).
22. Invited Speaker. Targeted Oncology: Lung Cancer Case-Based Roundtable Panel Discussion. November 22, 20 (Virtual).
23. Keynote speaker – "Clinical consideration and management of atezolizumab as adjuvant therapy in resectable NSCLC." 2022 Taiwan Thoracic Surgery Association Winter Meeting and Taiwan Thoracic and Intensive Care Medicine Annual Meeting Joint Symposium. December 10, 2022. Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
24. Invited International Speaker. 1st Iberic Thoracic Surgery Meeting / SPCCTV 4D Visions Conference 2022. Portuguese Society of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Surgery and Portuguese Society of Anesthesiology Joint Conference – “Chest wall tumors approach.” November 26, 2022. Albufeira, Portugal.
25. Invited Speaker. “Update on Lung Cancer Screening.” Annual Meeting of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons. January 23, 2023. San Diego, CA. USA.
26. Invited Speaker. “Update on adjuvant therapy for EGFR mutant NSCLC.” DAVA Oncology’s Best Practices in Lung Cancer Meeting. February 15, 2023. (Virtual).
27. Invited Speaker. “Update on adjuvant therapy for EGFR mutant NSCLC.” DAVA Oncology’s Best Practices in Lung Cancer Meeting. April 5, 2023. (Virtual).
28. Invited Speaker.  “Optimizing Treatment Plans in Patients with Resectable NSCLC.” 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS).  May 6, 2023. Los Angeles, CA. USA.
29. Invited Speaker.  “CheckMate 816: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and nivolumab in resectable NSCLC.” 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS).  May 7, 2023. Los Angeles, CA. USA.
30. Invited Speaker.  “Immunotherapy (IO) for locally advanced lung cancer: Give it on the back end.” State of the Art: Immunotherapy for Thoracic Malignancies Session. 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS). May 8, 2023. Los Angeles, CA. USA.
31. Invited international speaker. “How can multi-disciplinary approach and precision medicine/biomarker testing improve patients in their early lung cancer journey?” Paradigm Shift in the Management and Treatment of Early NSCLC Patients. The Israeli Society of Clinical Oncology and Radiation Therapy. May 15, 2023. Israel.
32. Invited International Speaker. 2023 (virtual) Grand Rounds in Thoracic Surgery at the Royal Brompton Hospital. August 4, 2023. London, United Kingdom.
33. Invited Speaker. “Real world biomarker testing and treatment patterns in resectable non-small cell lung carcinoma.” 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). September 11, 2023. Singapore.
34. Invited Speaker. “Updated CheckMate 816 3-year data with surgical outcomes.”  Annual CHEST Meeting 2023.  American College of Chest Physicians. October 11, 2023. Honolulu, HI. USA.
35. Invited International Speaker. “Current results of perioperative adjuvant therapies based on global trials: overview and perspective.” The Forefront of Perioperative Therapeutic Development for Lung Cancer - Japan's Position and Challenges in the World.” 64th Annual Japan Lung Cancer Society.  November 2, 2023, Chiba, Japan.
36. Invited Speaker. “Best Surgical Approaches for Stage III NSCLC.” MaTOS Masters in Thoracic Oncology Summit.  November 16-18, 2023, Santa Ana Pueblo, NM. USA.
37. Invited Speaker. “Importance of the pulmonologist in the multi-disciplinary team in the era of biomarker and molecular testing for resectable non-small cell lung cancer.” Pulmonary Grand Rounds. Department of Medicine. Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  Harvard Medical School. December 11, 2023, Boston, MA. USA.
38. Invited Speaker. “Perioperative immunotherapy in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: update and perspective.” Thoracic Oncology Lecture. Dana Farber Cancer Institute. December 12, 2023, Boston, MA. USA.
39. David J. Sugarbaker Visiting Professor. “Neoadjuvant, perioperative, and adjuvant immunotherapies in resectable non-small cell lung cancer: How do we choose?” Grand Rounds. Department of Surgery.  Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  Harvard Medical School. December 13, 2023, Boston, MA. USA.
40. Invited International Speaker. “Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy for Early Stage NSCLC - Surgeon's Perspectives.“ Taiwan Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (TASLC). 2024 TASLC International Symposium on Treatment Advances in Lung Cancer. January 13-14, 2024. Taipei, Taiwan.
41. Keynote Speaker. “Neoadjuvant immunotherapy and chemotherapy for stage II and III non-small cell lung cancer.” 2024 Prof. Yung-Chie Lee Memorial Symposium.  Taiwan Society of Thoracic Surgeons Meeting. National Taiwan University Cancer Center.  January 14, 2024. Taipei, Taiwan.
42. Invited International Speaker. “Current Immunotherapy Data in Early-stage Resectable Lung Cancer Disease.” MSD China 5th iMAX-MSD Oncology Summit Forum. February 3, 2024. Shanghai, China.
43. Invited International Speaker. “Current Immunotherapy Data in Early-stage Resectable Lung Cancer Disease.” MSD China 5th iMAX-MSD Oncology Summit Forum. February 4, 2024. Beijing, China.
44. Invited International Speaker. “NSCLC IO experiences sharing.” MSD China 5th iMAX-MSD Oncology Summit Forum. February 5, 2024. Beijing, China.
45. Beck Visiting Professor. Department of Surgery.  Case Western University.  February 28, 2024. Cleveland, Ohio. USA.
46. Invited Speaker.  3rd Global Summit on Thoracic Malignancies. DAVA Oncology. June 25-29, 2024. Kona, HI. USA.