Raised in Norman, Oklahoma and trained in biomedical engineering and medicine, Lee established an NIH-funded research program in magnetic resonance imaging at NYU.

[27][28][29] A popular lecturer who has received multiple teaching awards, Lee authored a textbook entitled Cardiovascular MRI: Physical Principles to Practical Protocols (Lippincott 2006).

[31] In 2007, Lee became the inaugural vice dean for science, chief scientific officer and senior vice-president, serving as a member of NYU's executive leadership team.

[30] While at NYU, Lee held a number of leadership positions in the ISMRM, the preeminent professional organization of clinical and research MR scientists.

Improved financial performance of the clinical enterprise enabled increased support and growth of education, research, and community service initiatives.

As dean, Lee led the significant expansion of the school of medicine class size from 82 to 125 students per year with increased ongoing state funding.

[48] A number of significant philanthropic commitments were made during her tenure, including the establishment of a new Rehabilitation Hospital,[49] funding for a number of research initiatives including the Utah Genome Project,[50] the Center for Medical Innovation,[51] and Driving Out Diabetes: A Larry H. Miller Family Foundation Wellness Initiative,[52] as well as both private and state funding for a new School of Medicine building.

Lee became embroiled in a public controversy when University leadership fired Huntsman Cancer Institute CEO, Mary Beckerle, on April 17, 2017.

[56] Jon Huntsman, Sr., publicly called for Lee and University President David W. Pershing to be fired from their leadership positions on April 21, 2017,[57][58] questioning their ethics and predicting that the governor and state legislature would become involved to ensure their removal.

[59] On April 22, 2017, the Editorial Board of the Salt Lake Tribune (a newspaper owned by a member of the Huntsman family) called for Lee's removal as the "only remedy in this case.

[61] Within hours after the meeting, Pershing released a written statement announcing that Beckerle was immediately resuming her service as CEO and Director of Huntsman Cancer Institute and would report directly to the President of the University.

[62][63][64] Pershing's announcement signaled that Lee would no longer oversee the Huntsman Cancer Institute, raising questions about the future direction of the University Health system.

On 28 April, Lee announced via email that, effective the same day, she was stepping down as the university's senior vice president for health sciences, dean of the medical school, and CEO of the healthcare system.

She announced her departure at the end of 2022 to move to Harvard University to focus on the intersection of tech, climate change and health care, with the aim of building more resilient systems for the future.