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Lee, Kyung Hee

Associate Professor

FACULTY

Biography

Dr. Kyung Hee Lee is a social data scientist specializing in leisure, public health, and preventive medicine. His research examines how social and environmental determinants—including social vulnerability, lifestyle, residential segregation, and park proximity—shape health outcomes such as physical inactivity, mental health, and obesity. Using large-scale datasets such as All of Us, HRS, CDC, ACS, and the U.S. Census, he applies advanced analytical methods including Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), repeated LASSO regression, and network-based multiple mediation analysis to investigate how leisure access influences public health, particularly in underserved communities.

Since 2020, Dr. Lee has collaborated with clinicians and health data scientists to translate these findings into individual-level interventions, developing AI- and machine learning–driven cancer risk prediction models that integrate electronic health records (EHRs) with lifestyle and patient-reported data. His work focuses on creating new analytical methods and adapting approaches traditionally used in medicine and public health to the social sciences.

He also serves as an Associate Editor for Leisure Sciences and the International Journal of Tourism Sciences. In his teaching, Dr. Lee emphasizes the use of emerging AI technologies and secondary data, guiding students to explore how these tools can be applied in leisure and recreation to support more effective program management and risk management.

More about Kyung Hee Lee

Dr. Lee’s publications have been cited over 1,000 times. Selected representative works include:

AI / Machine Learning–Driven Prediction Models for Cancer

  • Lee, K. H*., Alemi, F., Wang, X., & Schwartz, M. (2025). The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) Guidelines vs. Electronic Health Record (EHR)-Based Screening: A Comparative Accuracy Study in Prostate Cancer. Cureus, 17(7).
  • Alemi, F., & Lee, K. H*. (2025). USPSTF Dismisses Predictive Medicine and Data Science. Quality Management in Healthcare, 34(2), 147–148.
  • Lee, K. H*., Alemi, F., & Wang, X. (2025). EHR-Based Risk Prediction for Kidney Cancer. Quality Management in Healthcare, 34(2), 186–192.

 Time-Constrained Multiple Mediation Analysis for Preventive Medicine

  • Alemi, F., Venu, V. S., Madduru, S. C. N., & Lee, K. H. (2025). Tutorial on Multiple Mediation Analysis Using Causal Networks: Application to Diagnosing COVID-19 From Its Early and Late Symptoms. Quality Management in Healthcare. Advance online publication.
  • Alemi, F., Lee, K. H*., Vang, J., Lee, D., & Schwartz, M. (2023). Social and medical determinants of diabetes: A time-constrained multiple mediator analysis. Cureus, 15(9).
  • Lee, K. H*., Alemi, F., Yu, J. V., & Hong, Y. A. (2023). Social determinants of COVID-19 vaccination rates: A time-constrained multiple mediation analysis. Cureus, 15(2).
  • Alemi, F., & Lee, K. H*. (2023). Impact of political leaning on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A network-based multiple mediation analysis. Cureus, 15(8).

Spatial Disparities in Leisure, Recreation, and Public Health

  • Lee, K. H*., Lee, S., Ryu, J., Chun, S., & Heo, J. (2023). Geographically varying associations between mentally unhealthy days and social vulnerability in the USA. Public Health, 222, 13–20.
  • Lee, K. H*. (2020). Mental health and recreation opportunities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9338.
  • Lee, K. H*., Heo, J., Jayaraman, R., & Dawson, S. (2019). Proximity to parks and natural areas as an environmental determinant of spatial disparities in obesity prevalence. Applied Geography, 112, 102074.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Certification, Texas A&M University

Spatial Statistical Analysis (Advanced) Certification, Korea Social Science Data Archive

Big Data & Machine Learning for Social Scientists Certification, Korea Social Science Data Archive

Ph.D. , Recreation Park and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University.

MA, Urban and Regional Planning, Seoul National University.

AI-driven Prediction modeling for Cancer Health Equity

Social/Environmental Justice

Big data analytics in Electronic Health Record

Geo-spatial analytics in recreation service provision and accessibility

Academy of Health

American Association of Geographers

Academy Of Leisure Sciences

Courses Taught

RPL 518 Research & Philosophy in RPL

RPL 511 Liability and Risk Management in Leisure Services

RPL 307 Management Skills in Leisure Services

If not us, then who? If not now, then when?