Dr. Lee is a specialist in sinus and skull base surgery and part of the rhinology division with Dr. Stephanie Joe. She completed her subspecialty training in sinus and skull base surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and her otolaryngology residency at the University of Washington. She earned her medical degree from Northwestern University. She is board-certified in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. She was born and raised in Wisconsin and was excited to return to the Midwest after the completion of her medical training.

As a specialist in sinonasal disease, her areas of expertise include nasal obstruction, allergy, sinusitis, nasal polyps, and sinonasal tumors. She is experienced with the latest technological advances in the field and specializes in minimally invasive endoscopic approaches to treat sinonasal as well as skull base and orbital pathology, including pituitary and other tumors, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, blocked tear ducts, and thyroid eye disease.

Dr. Lee is actively involved in rhinologic clinical outcomes research. A key research focus is exploring the effects of social and environmental factors on sinonasal disease. She has co- authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and presents her research findings regularly at the national level. Dr. Lee has received both peer-reviewed and industry funding for her research. She is also a NIH-funded K12 University of Illinois Chicago Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Program scholar. She is dedicated to continually translating knowledge gained in the research arena to clinical practice.

Dr. Lee strives to achieve a patient-centered and multidisciplinary approach to her medical and surgical care. She will work tirelessly to get to the bottom of any problem her patients may have, no matter how complicated.

Specialties & Services

• Allergy - Nasal Allergy
• Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks
• Chronic Sinusitis
• Ear, Nose, and Throat
• Endoscopic Orbital Decompression / Thyroid Eye Disease
• Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery / Balloon Sinuplasty
• Head and Neck Cancer Surgery
• Minimally Invasive Treatment of Sinus / Nasal Conditions
• Nasal Obstruction
• Nasal Polyps
• Nasal Surgery
• Otolaryngology
• Rhinology
• Sinus Disease
• Sinus Surgery
• Sinus / Nasal Tumors
• Skull Base Surgery
• Skull Base Tumors / Pituitary Tumors
• Smell Loss

Awards

• Centralized Otolaryngology Research Efforts (CORE) Research Award, 2015
• 1^st Place Poster Presentation, American Rhinologic Society Annual Meeting, 2017
• 2^nd Place Clinical Paper, Rhinoworld Chicago, 2019
• Top Peer Reviewer, International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology, 2020, 2021
• Cures Within Reach “Repurposing Research to Address Racial / Ethnic Health Disparities in the Greater Chicago Area” Award, 2021
• Chicago Center for Health and EnvironmenT (CACHET) Pilot Project Award, 2021
• University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine Departmental Faculty Rising Star Award, 2022
• Chicago Chronic Condition Equity Network (C3EN) Research Project Pilot Grant Award, 2022
• Triological Society Career Development Award, 2022
• University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH) Program Scholar, 2023

• Salman F, Dasgupta R, Eldeirawi KM, Nyenhuis SM, Lee VS. Associations of Community-Level PM_2.5 with High-Acuity Visit Presentation for Sinusitis. American Journal of Otolaryngology. 2022 Dec 23;44(2):103739.
• Salman F, Dasgupta R, Eldeirawi KM, Nyenhuis SM, Lee VS. Demographic Factors and Comorbid Conditions Related to Health Care Presentation Among Patients with Sinusitis. American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy. 2022 Nov;36(6):884-889.
• Lee VS, Patel P, O’Brien D, Scangas GA, Campbell RG, Chandra R, Davis GE, Han JK, Le CH, Lee J, Luong AU, Poetker DM, Ramadan H, Setzen M, Smith K, Wise S, Villwock J, Ference E. Indications for Absorbable Steroid-Eluting Sinus Implants: Viewpoint via the Delphi Method. International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology. 2022 Oct;12(10):1225-1231.
• Schusteff R, Chervinko M, Nyenhuis SM, Lee VS. Ecological momentary assessment of outcomes in allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis: A review. International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology. 2022 Oct;12(10):1282-1290.
• Lee JA, Wu V, Ozgen Mocan B, Joe SA, Lee VS. Radiological assessment of high anterior septal deviation and its impact on sinus access. Laryngoscope. 2022 Jun;132(6):1166-1171.
• McCoul ED, Megwalu UC, Joe S, Gray R, O’Brien DC, Ference EH, Lee VS, Patel PS, Figueroa-Morales MA, Shin JJ, Brenner MJ. Systemic Steroids for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Disorders: An Evidence-Based Primer for Clinicians. Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. 2022 Mar 29:1945998221087664.
• De La Torre AB, Dasgupta R, Eldeirawi KM, Nyenhuis SM, Lee VS. Positive associations of pollutants and aeroallergens with allergic rhinitis in adults with asthma. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 2022 Feb;128(2):220-221.
• Lee VS, Humphreys IM, Purcell PL, Davis GE. Manuka honey versus saline sinus irrigation in the treatment of cystic fibrosis-associated chronic rhinosinusitis: A randomised pilot trial. Clinical Otolaryngology. 2021 Jan;46(1):168-174.

Complete List of Published Works: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/victoria.lee.1/bibliography/public/

Board Certification: American Board of Otolaryngology
Residency: University of Washington School of Medicine, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Fellowship: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery
Fellowship: University of Washington School of Medicine, Clinical Research (T32), Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Medical School: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Scholarly Activities

• 2021-present                  Editorial Board, International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology
• 2019-present                  Reviewer, American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy
• 2020-present                  Reviewer, The Laryngoscope
• 2020-present                  Reviewer, Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
• 2022-present                  Reviewer, Journal of the American Medical Association –
  Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery
• 2022-present                  Reviewer, Rhinology

Societies/Committees

• 2020-2024 Committee Member
  American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and
  Neck Surgery Outcomes Research and Evidence-Based Medicine Committee
• 2020-2023                      Committee Member
  American Rhinologic Society Research and Grants
  Committee
• 2021-2024                      Committee Member
  American Rhinologic Society Awards Committee
• 2022-2023                      Secretary
  Chicago Laryngological & Otological Society
• 2022-2024                       Committee Member
  American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and
  Neck Surgery Rhinology & Allergy Education Committee

Memberships in Professional Organizations

• 2012-present                 Member
  American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
• 2020-present                 Member
  American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy
• 2021-present                 Associate Member
  Chicago Center for Health and Environment
• 2021-present  Member
  North American Skull Base Society
• 2022-present                 Fellow
  American Rhinologic Society

Objective

Optimizing clinical outcomes in patients with sinonasal pathology

• Health Disparities
  • Survey socioeconomic barriers to accessing and receive care
  • Assess the association of social determinants of health/home environment and sinonasal disease outcomes
  • Use real-time objective and subjective data capture strategies to evaluate the relationship of home environmental exposures and sinonasal disease symptoms
• Imaging for surgical planning
  • To identify underreported anatomic characteristics on imaging important for endonasal endoscopic approaches
  • Defining, determining prevalence, and identifying associated features for these anatomic characteristics
• Topical therapies
  • Better define indications, factors that predict success
  • Assess their effectiveness, side effects, and tolerance

Assessing the impact of upper respiratory viruses and pollution in sinonasal disease

• Establishing the feasibility of an in vitro model
• Characterizing the immune response of various sinonasal cell types after exposure to upper respiratory viral pathogens.

Current Projects

• Association of Home Air Quality and Sinonasal Disease Control Using Innovative Real-time Data Assessment
• Novel implementation of integrated electronic health record data collection of social determinants of health and home environmental exposures in a tertiary rhinology clinic
• Exploring the impact of pollution on upper respiratory rhinovirus replication dynamics and inflammatory response in human sinonasal epithelial cells
• Latent Aspirin Sensitivity Prevalence and Phenotypic Characteristics: A Prospective Feasibility Study
• Topical probiotic sinus irrigations for the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis: a randomized controlled trial
• Study Assessing Long-teRm Outcomes of dupiluMAb Treatment in Adult Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis with Nasal Polyposis (AROMA)