Diplomates Making a Difference: Dr. Richard Lee

A Career Dedicated to Service of His Country and Patients

Retired ABOMS Diplomate and former member of the Examination Committee, Dr. Richard Lee served as a First Lieutenant in Vietnam before he was a surgeon. He was highly decorated, including awards such as two Purple Hearts and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm. His years serving in the military helped guide him to his career in oral and maxillofacial surgery through a series of chance meetings.

Dr. Lee’s passion for the specialty began in high school when he participated in a local mentorship program with a local oral and maxillofacial surgeon. He had the opportunity to observe several surgeries which ignited a lifelong passion.

During his military service in Vietnam, Dr. Lee was wounded on a dangerous mission to rescue a stranded platoon. While recovering on the hospital ship USS Sanctuary in the South China Sea, Dr. Lee often thought about what his career and what life would look like after his service. Remembering his passion for OMS from his high school mentorship program, Dr. Lee discussed the logistics and realities of a future career in the specialty, a conversation that happened to be with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. Following that conversation, he took the Dental Administration Test while still in Vietnam, and with his wife’s help, navigated the application process from the other side of the world.

Although still enlisted, Dr. Lee was told there was an opening at Loyola University’s Chicago School of Dentistry which was his if he could get an early discharge from service. He was honorably discharged due to the wounds he had sustained and the numerous awards he’d earned. From there, Dr. Lee went on to complete a 40-year career in oral and maxillofacial surgery in Findlay, Ohio.

Outside of his practice, Dr. Lee also enjoyed volunteerism including roles in civic and service organizations such as serving as a delegate for AAOMS, participating in ABOMS exams as a member of the Examination Committee, and serving on hospital committees. He also enjoyed the opportunity to serve as President of both the Ohio Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Great Lakes Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

Dr. Lee’s journey to oral and maxillofacial surgery was a unique experience of chance encounters from his high school mentorship program to a life changing conversation during his recovery in Vietnam on the USS Sanctuary. These remain defining moments in a life and career dedicated to service of his country and his patients.