December 11th, 2023
Yong Hwa Lee, MD, Awarded Mission Champion for Month of December 2023
Yong Hwa Lee, MD, joined St. Joseph Hospital 11 years ago. Dr. Lee currently works as one of our Emergency Department (ED) physicians on the night shift team. When asked about her experience at St. Joseph Hospital, she says that she is fortunate to work alongside a beautiful team that helps support her and allows her to see as many patients as possible in the middle of the night.
Dr. Lee’s favorite part about her job is being able to work with patients and their families. This is unique to emergency medicine and something that comes natural to her. She appreciates her patients and wants to ensure that they are smiling and well cared for while in our care. Dr. Lee adds that she is thankful for her colleagues and the department that she calls “home”. She is grateful that her and her team are always on the same page. There is an understanding among them, and she often feels that they are one step ahead of her. Her team is aware of the style of care she provides to her patients, and she is certain that she would not be able to do her job without them.
When asking Dr. Lee about her most memorable moment while working at St. Joseph Hospital, she recalls a time that she was able to comfort family members after the unexpected loss of a loved one. The patient was an organ donor and was able to save many lives after passing. Dr. Lee was inspired by how well the family handled their sudden loss, and she made sure that there would be support for them. This focus is typical for Dr. Lee, as she is known for going out of her way to support her patients, their families, and colleagues at St. Joseph Hospital.
Olivia Babala, RN, says, “Dr. Lee treats patients equally. She focuses on the medical problem of the patient as well as their emotional and spiritual needs. Working with Dr. Lee for the past 8 years, I have noticed the qualities that she exhibits, and I am impressed with how much she contributes to the mission of St. Joseph Hospital.”
When Dr. Lee is not working in the ED, you can find her traveling the world. She is an avid mountain climber, having climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Machu Picchu in Peru, and our beloved Mount Monadnock right here in New Hampshire. She is excited to continue climbing in different areas of the world. Dr. Lee has been able to give back to the community by doing charity work, providing free medical services to the Korean Community in the New England Area since 1996. In 2010, she was given an award for her charity work from the Ambassador of South Korea.
Dr. Lee enjoys spending time with her son, John, and his family. She also mentions that her home would not be complete without her many dogs, having sheltered 11 over the past couple of years. She currently has 2 dogs, Zeke and Zara.
Dr. Lee adds that when she came to work at St. Joseph Hospital 11 years ago, she was only here to “help out temporarily”, but soon found herself at home. She loves that the hospital is mission-oriented, which drives the work that we all do. Her team in the ED has an ongoing joke that she treats the ED as home, and is always inviting her patients back in if they need anything. Dr. Lee wants the best for her patients and colleagues, and always makes sure that everyone has the tools that they need before she leaves at the end of her shift.
Congratulations, Dr. Lee!