Dr. Jay Lee is assistant program director and director of health policy at the Long Beach Memorial Family Medicine Residency Program. He also does extensive work with the California Academy of Family Physicians, serving in 2011 as secretary-treasurer and new physician director. Dr. Lee has been involved in the California Academy's Family Medicine Revolution movement and has become a very visible family physician in the social media scene, tweeting from @familydocwonk.

The Long Beach Family Medicine Residency Program is a diverse practice settled in one of the most diverse cities in California, Dr. Lee said. The group of physicians and residents practices office-based and hospital-based medicine, as well as non-surgical obstetrics, and covers nursing homes, makes home visits and covers  one of the local high school football teams.

In addition to his medical degree, Dr. Lee also holds a master's in public health, specializing in health policy and management.

Q: What led you into the practice of family medicine?

Dr. Lee: Prior to medical school, I worked as a volunteer medic for a small non-governmental organization in post-war rural El Salvador. It was a time that I had an opportunity to see how critically linked social determinants are to health. I was determined to marry the two in my future career and family medicine was the natural path.

Q: What is a typical day for you?

Dr. Lee: As I joke with our residents at times, I am on one long rotation known as family medicine. I see patients three half-days during the week, four if you include the half-day that I spend at our affiliated community health center, Westside Neighborhood Clinic. The rest of the week is a mix of precepting resident clinic, administrative time and policy work, including multiple MemorialCare level meetings (our residency program recently became one of the practices to join the MemorialCare Medical Foundation).

Q: What is your most vivid memory from medical school?

Dr. Lee: Graduating.