Cortney Lee, MD, professor and section head of endocrine surgery, was appointed to the Warren H. Proudfoot, MD, Endowed Professorship in Surgical Oncology. The UK Board of Trustees approved the appointment at their regular meeting in April 2026.
Dr. Lee was nominated for the professorship by William B. Inabnet III, MD, the Johnston Wright Endowed Professor and chair of surgery. UK College of Medicine Dean Charles "Chipper" Griffith, MD, subsequently approved the appointment. Dr. Lee succeeds David Sloan, MD, the inaugural holder of the professorship who recently announced his retirement as a professor in the UK division of general, endocrine, and metabolic surgery.
Dr. Lee has served UK HealthCare as a board-certified surgeon and endocrine specialist for 15 years. She is a 2009 alum of the department's surgical residency program and completed fellowship training in endocrine surgery at the Scott & White Clinic at Texas A&M University.
In tandem with her outstanding clinical practice, Dr. Lee has proven an exceptional leader in surgical education. She has been an advisor and mentor to dozens of medical students and residents, many of whom matched into the nation's top surgery residency programs.
She is a past president of the Kentucky Chapter of the American College of Surgeons. Within the College of Medicine, she has served terms on the curriculum committee and the clerkship core faculty. Her academic leadership includes six years as surgery clerkship director for third year medical students and chair of the Medical Student Education Committee in surgery. In 2024, she was named program director of UK's general surgery residency program.
Dr. Lee has received numerous awards for excellence in medical student and resident education including the Ward O Griffen Teaching Award from the department of surgery and, from the College of Medicine Class of 2021, the Distinguished Teaching Award in recognition of her dedication to medical education. That same year, to underscore her excellence in patient care, Dr. Lee was recipient of a Patient Experience Award from UK HealthCare.
The professorship is named to honor Dr. Warren H. Proudfoot, a former UK College of Medicine professor and past chair of the Markey Cancer Center. Dr. Proudfoot was instrumental in forming an affiliation between the University of Kentucky and UK St. Claire in Morehead, Kentucky.