Dr. Lee is a professor and the National Healthcare Corporation (NHC) Chair of Excellence in Nursing at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU).  In 2017, she created a unique clinical rotation in mental health for students in the BSN program, Communication Skills.  This clinical rotation teaches basic skills and knowledge rooted in Motivational Interviewing.  She incorporates her training as a National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach into the clinical rotation. Through this experience, students practice skills using role play prior to entering the inpatient mental health clinical rotation.  Dr. Lee has been an educator since 1989 in universities throughout the U.S., including Canada.  She received her associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing from Western Kentucky University, a master’s degree in nursing from Emory University, and a PhD in Nursing from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The student nomination highlights Dr. Lee’s commitment as a nurse educator: “Her deep-rooted passion for nursing made her inspiring and invaluable to learn from.  She was always very thorough and kind throughout the semester. . . Content was thoroughly explained and demonstrated, and she always took time to provide feedback. . . . Dr. Lee has a deeply rooted commitment to us as students, and to the profession that she has remained steadfast throughout our time at the school of nursing. . . She is the paragon of what a nurse educator and mentor should be.  Her resolute support, empathetic and compassionate nature, and devotion to the success of students in and beyond the classroom are what make her an exceptional teacher, leader, and mentor.”