Lee, Jee Young
Research
Accelerated aging in COPD
COPD is one of the leading causes of death, yet there are no effective therapeutic agents targeting pathogenesis of COPD. Previous studies have shown that most COPD patients exhibit signs of aging. My research focus is to investigate the link between aging and COPD by quantifying the extent of aging and correlating that to the disease outcome.
If things go well as I hope, my research will open up a new door to novel target for therapeutic agent which could improve quality of patients' lives, and relieve the growing health burden of COPD in Canada and throughout the world.
I did my independent research study in my 4th year, undergraduate studies. It gave me a taste of what it's like to be do research. Honestly there was time when I got frustrated with failed experiments, but at the end of the day, I genuinely enjoyed the process of discovering new things. So far, I love my research and I believe I made a right decision coming to graduate school.
UBC has a reputation for its research facilities and well respected faculty members. Well, if I really have to give a reason, I would say it’s the weather. I did my undergraduate studies in Guelph, Ontario. The cold weather doesn’t bother me much, but I figured it would be nicer if I don’t have to shovel snow every day just to get to school.
Hmmm. Honestly, just be open-minded and participate in tons of activities you can find on and off campus. I think that's the greatest way to meet tons of great people.
I would say longboating was definitely the most memorable experience that I had in Vancouver. I have gone dragonboating before, but never done longboating. Oh and the hot-tub after the competition! You will just love the feeling! The whole day event of longboating was so much fun.
Any kind of sports!
I am still in the midst of trying to decide what I really want to do with my life. I love doing research but I can see myself doing clinical stuff as well. Either way, I would love to stay in the field of medicine whether it is research related or clinic related.
