Clifton Lee, MD

Clifton Lee, MD, is an attending physician based at Monter Cancer Center at the Center for Advanced Medicine, where he specializes in hematology, medical oncology, and internal medicine. He is also an assistant professor of medicine at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. After earning his medical degree at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, Dr. Lee trained in internal medicine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center and completed a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. He joined Northwell Health in 2016 as an internal medicine practitioner, with a special focus in thrombophilia, bleeding disorders, and benign hematology. Dr. Lee chose medicine, and hematology specifically, because he has always had an interest in helping others, particularly through science and innovative medical approaches. He brings that enthusiasm for science into patient interactions as well; he believes that people benefit when they are better informed about their condition and available therapy options. "I appreciate having extensive conversations with patients about how their illness is affecting them and about issues like clotting disorders," he says. "That way, they can understand how each therapy is supposed to work. That's important because with bleeding disorders, therapy can be highly individualized, so working together with a patient is important for them to receive the best and most appropriate care." During his residency, fellowship, and time as an attending physician, Dr. Lee has learned how strong people can be, and how they can handle tough situations with grace and resilience.
Being at Northwell also gives Dr. Lee access to a breadth of resources, he says, including other specialists. For example, some coagulation disorders affect fertility and pregnancy, so he consults with OB/GYN specialists at Northwell to create a team-based approach for those patients. Similarly, other patients may need other specialists like cardiologists, rheumatologists, endocrinologists, or neurologists. Dr. Lee knows the collaborative nature of Northwell can provide the kind of patient-centered care that makes a difference.