Faculty

Lee C. Zhao, MD, MS is a reconstructive urologist, and associate professor of Urology and Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Health. Prior to becoming a physician, he attended graduate school for biomedical engineering and volunteered in the Peace Corps. Combining his interest in fixing problems and his desire to help people led him to the field of urologic reconstructive surgery. At NYU Langone, he treats urethral strictures, ureteral obstruction, urinary fistulae, and complications of transgender surgery. He has pioneered the use of robotic surgery for urologic reconstruction, including repair of ureteral strictures using oral mucosa and posterior urethroplasty. As a component of his reconstructive urology practice, Dr. Zhao is co-director for gender affirming surgery program at NYU Langone. He performs both primary and revision gender affirming surgery as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

In addition to clinical care, Dr. Zhao has authored numerous articles on trauma, urologic reconstruction, and surgical outcomes. As a member of the Trauma and Urologic Reconstructive Network of Surgeons (TURNS), and the Collaborative of Reconstructive Robotic Ureteral Surgery (CORRUS), he is actively involved in studying improvements in surgical outcomes and patient safety by participating in collaborative research. He is also actively involved in urologic education. He was a co-author of the American Urologic Association core curriculum on Gender Affirming Surgery and guidelines on Male Urethral Stricture.