Research interests
Background:
Dr. Joseph Lee is a genetic epidemiologist and an assistant professor in the department of epidemiology. He received his bachelor's degree in biology from the University of California at Irvine, master's degree in epidemiology from the University of California at Berkeley and doctorate in epidemiology from Columbia University. He completed his postdoctoral training in genetics from the University of Pennsylvania.
His expertise is in genetic epidemiology of complex traits, with his research focus in the genetics of aging. He is involved in a study that attempts to localize Alzheimer’s disease (AD) susceptibility genes in Caribbean Hispanics families. For this purpose, he conducts genome wide searches to narrow down chromosomal regions that may have genes that contribute to AD. He is also studying the genetics of memory and other related cognitive functions in those families. In addition, he is conducting a family-based migrant study of Korean populations in different parts of the world to examine how gene and environment interact to influence complex traits. Currently, he and his collaborators are collecting data on a wide range of traits from Kazakhstan and Korea.
