Audrey Lee

Background

About Audrey Lee

I am a fifth-year MD-PhD candidate in the Medical Scientist Training Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. I aim to integrate clinical and technological perspectives at the intersection of surgical robotics and machine learning to develop translational technologies that improve surgical practice. I am a PhD candidate in Biomedical Sciences with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, where I am advised by Benjamin Rapoport, MD, PhD. My thesis work is on human-robot interaction in robotic surgery, specializing in how high-autonomy surgical robots and surgeons can effectively collaborate on tasks to ensure safe integration into procedural workflows, expedite patient care, and enable generalization to new patient anatomies. I am also affiliated with the Mount Sinai BioDesign Program of the Department of Neurosurgery, a medical technology incubator and rapid prototyping center with a history of translational innovation in medical device innovation and artificial intelligence. I graduated from Columbia University with a BS in Biomedical Engineering. As an undergraduate researcher, I developed drug-delivery implants for arterial disease and fabrication methods for soft microrobots. I was also a research intern for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, where I created 3D-printed modules for real-time microscopic imaging of living organisms during microgravity simulation. Beyond research and academics, I am passionate about supporting STEM outreach programs and community projects. I assisted in a global collaboration to engineer an exoskeleton to enhance a paralyzed child’s physical therapy, which helped her regain partial mobility. I have also worked closely with the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum and New York Academy of Sciences to mentor young women and students in leadership programs. I have also given talks at the United Nations, Google, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, the New York Academy of Sciences, and the US-China Dialogue: STEM and the Empowerment of Women conference in Hangzhou, China. I enjoy cycling, hiking, crocheting, and gardening in my free time.