SOUTH CAROLINA – August 27, 2024 – JeoungSoo Lee’s research into new ways of delivering medicine to parts of the body that need it most and her student mentorship have earned her one of the most prestigious honors on Clemson University’s faculty.
Lee has been chosen as the John Witherspoon Gilpin, MD ’82 Distinguished Professor in Bioengineering.
“I am honored and very happy to be selected for this professorship and look forward to working with Dr. Gilpin to improve the quality of life for patients who are living with disease or injury,” she said.
Named professorships signal to recipients’ colleagues that they are considered among the University’s leading faculty members. The professorships lend prestige to the University and recipient, helping recruit and retain top talent.
Gilpin made Lee’s professorship possible by providing $1 million in 2022 for an endowment. Investment proceeds will be available to Lee to help pay for travel, student assistance and research support and equipment.
In a separate gift announced in 2020, Gilpin provided $250,000 for the John Witherspoon Gilpin, MD ‘82 Endowed Associate Professorship, first held by Jeremy Mercuri. He recently became a professor of practice, leaving the professorship open with a search ongoing.
“It has been fulfilling to observe these talented bioengineeirng professionals I have invested in pursue and accomplish innovative research,” Gilpin said. “With these relationships, I have been blessed more than Clemson University has been. It has been wonderful for me, and I’m glad I have made these financial investments in the department.”
Lee specializes in creating advanced nanoparticles that deliver drugs and therapeutic nucleic acids directly to specific parts of the body that need it most. The approach helps maximize the drug benefits while minimizing side effects.
Lee sees potential for using the nanoparticles to help treat a range of injuries and diseases, including those to the spinal cord and brain. She is also working on applying her innovative work to cancer, cardiovascular diseases and hearing impairment.
Lee has begun working to commercialize her research through her company, NeuroHope Therapeutics, which was named by her 17-year old son, Byron Augustine Lee Webb, to “give hope to people who need it.” Her lab, office, and company are at the Clemson University Biomedical Engineering Innovation Campus (CUBEInC), which shares a building with Prisma Health at the Patewood location in Greenville.
“I believe that the Gilpin Distinguished Professorship will support and accelerate my efforts to develop my nanotherapeutic technology from bench to bedside,” Lee said.
Gilpin received a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from Clemson and the Norris Medal, an honor given annually to the best all-round graduating senior.
He went on to become program director of medical student education in the Department of Radiology at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville. Gilpin has also served as a board certified diagnostic radiologist at Prisma Health and medical director of the Radiology Department at Prisma Hillcrest Hospital in Simpsonville.
Gilpin said he is honored to be associated with Lee.
“Her work on nanocarriers and polymeric micelles and the potential for drug and therapeutics delivery is potentially unlimited with high utility,” he said.
Lee grew up in South Korea, the daughter of the late Juho Lee and Young Hee Park.
Her father died of cancer when she was 16, inspiring her later work in pharmacy and research.
Lee began her career as a pharmacist but enjoyed the research she had done as an undergraduate and wanted to teach, so she decided to return to school for a graduate degree.
Lee received a Master of Science and Ph.D., both in Pharmaceutical Sciences from College of Pharmacy, Pusan National University in South Korea. She joined Clemson’s bioengineering department in 2003 as a postdoctoral research associate and has steadily risen through the ranks, becoming professor in 2023.
Throughout her career, Lee has advised one research assistant professor, nine postdoctoral researchers, has graduated nine Ph.D. students and eight master’s students and served as a research advisor to 34 undergraduates. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Army, the South Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Research Fund, the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affair, foundations and private industry.
She is married to Ken Webb, a professor and associate chair of undergraduate affairs in the Department of Bioengineering.
The marriage strengthens Lee’s ties to the Clemson Family and the broader South Carolina community. Webb’s father, the late Byron Kenneth “Bud” Webb, served as chair of Clemson’s agricultural engineering department and dean of the Cooperative Extension Service and represented Pickens County’s District 3 in the state House of Representatives from 1996-2002.
Lee has carried on that tradition of leadership not only in her work with Clemson but in the community as well. Among her activities is serving as a member of the Saint Joseph’s Catholic School Board of Trustees in Greenville.
Delphine Dean, chair of the Department of Bioengineering, congratulated Lee and said she was highly deserving of the professorship.
“Dr. Lee’s innovative research, commitment to translating her work to bedside application and her mentorship of students establish her as a key leader within the department and in the field of bioengineering,” Dean said. “I thank Dr. Gilpin for his forward-thinking generosity. His gifts of time and treasure to the department are deeply valued and help us solidify our position as a powerhouse of education and research.”
By Paul Alongi