W.P. Andrew Lee Stepping Down As Director of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to share that W.P. Andrew Lee, M.D., director of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, will be leaving Johns Hopkins Feb. 4, 2019, to serve as executive vice president for academic affairs, provost and dean of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

An alumnus of both the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Halsted general surgery residency, Dr. Lee is internationally known for his leadership in plastic surgery. He returned to Johns Hopkins in 2010 as the Milton T. Edgerton Professor and inaugural director of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. His leadership, commitment to innovation, and compassionate and patient-centered care have helped to firmly establish the department as one of the largest and most academically productive plastic surgery programs in the world, and the source of numerous scientific, educational and clinical innovations.

Dr. Lee is a pioneer in developing approaches to transplantation of the hand, arm and, most recently, the penis and scrotum, and his research has provided valuable insights into strategies to enhance immunologic tolerance of transplanted tissues. He has held numerous leadership positions in professional societies, including as chair of the American Board of Plastic Surgery (2012–13) and president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (2011-12). Within Johns Hopkins, Andy has served in a number of roles, including chair of the Associate Professor Promotion Committee and chair of the Johns Hopkins Hospital Medical Board.

Dr. Richard Redett, professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery, has agreed to serve as interim director of the department. Dr. Redett is a graduate of the Dartmouth School of Medicine, pursued residency in general surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins, and trained in pediatric plastic surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He is director of the Johns Hopkins Cleft Lip and Palate Center and was director of the department's residency program for many years. Dr. Redett was a founding member of Bring Hope Through Healing, a nonprofit organization that provides medical care and education to underserved populations around the world. We are grateful to Dr. Redett for his willingness to serve as the interim director of the department.

Dr. Andy Lee has been a highly valued colleague and major contributor to the success of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Please join us in thanking him for his leadership and service, and in wishing him much success in his new role at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School.

Sincerely,

Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Kevin W. Sowers, M.S.N., R.N., F.A.A.N.
President, Johns Hopkins Health System
Executive Vice President, Johns Hopkins Medicine