Current Residents

Dr. Yang Jae Lee graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude double majoring in International Area Studies: Development and Biology from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2015, he developed a deep interest in the Busoga region of Uganda, where he conducted a research project on traditional medicines. Concurrently, he authored a journalism project for which he was awarded the Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for producing the best journalism nationally among students in his category. He continued engaging with the Busoga region, initiating several collaborative projects with academicians, local government, and community members on various public health interventions and development initiatives. In 2018, he founded the 501(c)3 organization Empower Through Health, where he serves as the Executive Director and Chairperson. Empower Through Health is a non-profit organization that provides medical care to a catchment area of 70,000 people and psychiatric care to a catchment area of over 400,000 people. Alongside their medical and research endeavors, they created equitable educational opportunities for both Ugandan and American pre-doctoral students, while also aspiring to establish a leading global mental health hub. Since arriving at Yale, he has concentrated on two primary research objectives: diminishing the stigma associated with mental illness; and, cultivating robust systems of care through working with existing community structures to provide effective mental healthcare in rural areas of low-income countries. Through addressing these crucial issues, he aims to make a meaningful contribution towards enhancing the overall well-being of marginalized communities.

I went to medical school with the intention of becoming an oncologist, building on knowledge I developed in biotech industry research making DNA sequencing assays for clinical research applications. That all changed when in medical school, during a research year-off working at the NIH, I discovered the emerging value of using genomics to uncover the neurogenetic mechanisms underlying serious mental illness.During that research year, working in Dr. Karen Faith Berman’s lab at NIMH, I conducted a neuroimaging-genetics study that showed for the first time a gene-dosage effect on regional white matter myelination in a clinical cohort of children with the 7q11.23 genetic Copy Number Variation (CNV). The knowledge, experience and amazing mentorship from Dr.Berman’s lab emboldened my desire to become a physician-scientist within psychiatry.For residency training, I chose Yale for it’s vibrant research community within the Psychiatry department and the Child Study Center, the ample protected research time provided during residency, and the opportunity for PhD or Master’s level training through the Investigative Medicine Program. At the start of my PGY-2 year, I joined the lab of Dr.Tom Fernandez which focuses on the genomics of childhood onset neuropsychiatric disorders like Tourettes, OCD, ADHD and Schizophrenia. I am currently working on a project investigating genome wide differential gene expression in OCD patients, with the goal of identifying gene networks and distinct biological pathways that may underlie OCD pathology.In the future, I look to further develop research skills in genomics and transcriptomics with the long term goal of becoming an independent investigator working in translational psychiatric genomics.Having grown-up in Uganda, and done college in California, I’ve come to love and appreciate the season changes in the North East! I’m still discovering good running trails in the New Haven area and I continue to be amazed by the variety of restaurants with great food in such a small city.