Professor Nelson Lee is the director of the Institute of Health Emergencies & Pandemics (IHEP), and the academic lead of the IHEP Institutional Strategic Initiative of UofT. As an infectious diseases physician, he has been deeply involved in the research on pandemics, epidemics, and emerging infectious diseases with major public health significance for more than two decades. With an interdisciplinary approach, he has conducted a wide range of studies to understand the epidemiology, disease burden, health outcomes, transmission prevention, as well as antiviral treatment and vaccine effectiveness against viral respiratory infections (including coronavirus, influenza, RSV). His research is referenced by international health authorities, contributing to the pandemic preparedness and disease control. Professor Lee is dedicated to his goals in preventing, effectively responding, and mitigating the impacts of epidemics, pandemics and other public health emergencies (PHE) through research and education.

Before joining the Dalla Lana School of Public Health in 2021, he spent four years at the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, where he served as professor and research chair in the Division of Infectious Diseases. He was an endowed professor in The Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he worked for 15 years, tracking and managing outbreaks of emerging infections.