Major, Massachusetts Army National Guard
Dr. Ryan S. Lee is a practicing dental oncologist and implantologist with five bustling practices in NY, NJ, CT, MA, and RI. However, during the height of the pandemic, Major Lee has shut down his practices to serve on active duty, Title 32 deployment with the Massachusetts Army National Guard, a mission that lasted nearly 100 days. In his capacity as a medical officer in charge (OIC) for quality control and training for 32 mobile strike teams, he directed over 50,000 nasopharyngeal COVID-19 swabs across nursing homes, veterans shelters, memory care facilities, and hospitals across the state — the first partnership of its kind between the state’s department of health and the national guard’s medical command unit. Major Lee’s accomplishments were featured in the NY Times, Northwestern Daily, the ADA News, and various local periodicals. Major Lee’s soldiers across all 32 mobile strike teams recorded lower internal infection rates than the general public, despite being exposed to high-risk environments daily, seven days a week.