Christina Lee

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Kaiser Permanente

Dr. Christina Lee serves as psychiatrist and regional medical director for mental health at Kaiser Permanente, where she has dedicated her career to improving access to mental health services in Maryland.

Lee earned her medical degree from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University in 2005 after graduating from Cornell University with distinction in chemistry and psychology. She completed her psychiatry training at Yale-New Haven Hospital and fellowships at Yale University School of Medicine.

Since joining Kaiser Permanente in 2015, Lee has risen to leadership positions, becoming chief of psychiatry for the Baltimore service area in 2019 and regional medical director for mental health in 2023.

Her accomplishments include expanding crisis care therapy access, ensuring appointments within 48 hours and developing specialized programs for adults with executive functioning challenges and severely mentally ill patients. She also expanded services for autism spectrum disorder evaluations and applied behavior analysis assessments.

“I have significantly improved mental health care for patients in Maryland and the surrounding region by expanding our external provider network for psychotherapy,” Lee stated. “This expansion has enhanced access for nearly 800,000 Kaiser Permanente members in the area.”

Under her leadership, therapy visits increased 31% in 2024 compared to 2023, with many patients securing appointments within 10 business days.

Lee’s commitment to mental health began during her time with Teach for America from 1999-2001, an experience she describes as transformative.

“What became quickly apparent was that successful teaching requires an ardent investment in the whole student,” Lee wrote. “I needed to understand the personal trials the students endured outside the classroom that affected their mental health.”

Her professional recognition includes being named a Top Doctor by Baltimore Magazine four times and receiving multiple awards for patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.

Lee currently serves on numerous committees at Kaiser Permanente, including the Regional Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committee and as medical director of the Mid-Atlantic States Appeals Committee.

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