Ryan P. Lee, MD
Dr. Lee is an Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery and performs surgery on both the brain and spine. While he treats a variety of neurosurgical conditions, his emphasis is on hydrocephalus and other cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) disorders and related conditions. These include:
• Hydrocephalus
• Chiari Malformation
• Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)
• Syringomyelia (Syrinx)
• Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (Pseudotumor Cerebri)
• Spinal CSF Leak (Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension)
• Tethered Cord
• Cysts of the Brain and Spine
Dr. Lee completed his residency training in Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He took a special interest in CSF Disorders and spent extra time training in the clinical care of these complex conditions. There are very few Neurosurgeons worldwide that specialize in this subspecialty. Dr. Lee has been active in research in hydrocephalus and Chiari malformation now for over 10 years. While at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Lee earned numerous awards, including the Frank L. Coulson Award for Clinical Excellence, the Walter Dandy Award for Clinical Research, the Chairman’s Award for Improving Patient Safety, and the Irving J. Sherman Award for Resident Achievement.
Dr. Lee was recruited to Vanderbilt to establish the Hydrocephalus, Chiari, and CSF Disorders Center, which now serves patients from Tennessee and 12 neighboring or nearby states. This new center brings together specialists from Neurosurgery, Neurology, Neuroradiology, Ophthalmology, Neuro-Interventional Surgery, Anesthesiology, Pain Management, Physical Therapy, and Rehabilitation. Collaboration between specialties is critical to provide state-of-the-art and individualized care all the way through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery.
A major focus of the center is also to expand Vanderbilt’s world-class research efforts: to understand what causes these conditions and how best to treat them with newer technology and less invasive procedures. Dr. Lee is heavily involved with innovation, including patents for new devices and also advising companies. He is active in lecturing at national and international conferences and publishing original research papers that report the latest discoveries.