Thomas Ber-In Lee, DVM, MVM, MS
Diplomate ACVR (Radiation Oncology)
PhD Student – Cell and Molecular Biology
I was born and raised in Taiwan, formerly known as Formosa, a beautiful country surrounded by sea. Before I entered veterinary school at National Taiwan University (NTU), my dream was to own a zoo. However, I realized that my true interest was in small animals that accompanied us every day after my first year in veterinary school.
The most significant event that influenced my decision to specialty was my childhood experience. I had acute lymphoblastic leukemia when I was three and was cured after nearly a year of seriously intense chemotherapy. Without a doubt, I devoted myself to Veterinary Oncology and hoped that I could do my best to help my adorable patients while avoiding their suffering from those painful experiences I’d gone through.
After a rotating internship, I started a comprehensive medical oncology residency combined with a master’s degree at NTU Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH). We also collaborated with a human radiation oncology team to treat our patients during this three-year training.
After my residency, my mentor kept me around as a clinical instructor to assist in his teaching. I started to practice contouring and radiation treatment planning since then. During this period, I discussed with human radiation oncologists and medical physicists every treatment plan I’d made.
The more I became involved with radiation therapy planning, the more I wanted to be a board-certified radiation oncologist. I was very lucky to match to the radiation oncology residency and join the FACC team in 2018. I finished my radiation oncology residency, became a board-certified veterinary radiation oncologist, and started my journey of pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Cell and Molecular Biology with a Cancer Biology Specialization at CSU in 2021.
My research focuses on sinonasal tumors and immune-radiation therapy. My future professional goal is to grow as a translational cancer researcher in academia as a clinician scientist faculty member. I will not only be a comprehensive oncologist but also prepare myself for a career in the field of comparative cancer research.
I have a thirteen-year-old Golden Retriever named Spinach – he is very strong and I liked the name Spinach rather than Popeye. You can tell his age from the cute white mask on his face but he is still very active and energetic. He stays in Taiwan with my parents in case they miss me too much.