Community Spotlight: Brian K. Lee

Can you tell us about your current research and what inspired you to pursue this area?

My overarching goal is to conduct consequential research on population brain health. My research involves both etiological and methodological components, and what I work on day-to-day flips between the two depending on what side of the bed I get up on. The etiological side of my work broadly addresses the question of “Why are we as human beings the way we are?” My curiosity was inspired by my undergraduate experience at Harvard, where I majored in biological anthropology. There, I studied everything from the micro (e.g., genetically modifying rats to make them smarter) to the macro (e.g., cultural and ecological pressures shaping hominid diets and therefore cognitive function). This experience has translated well to my current work studying the developmental origins of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. My methodological side is probably summed up by the quote: “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” I believe that different tools are needed for different tasks, and sometimes you either have to borrow the right tool from someone or make your own. For example, I’m currently tinkering with strategies to speed up the computational pipeline in target trial emulation analyses because I think existing methods are too slow.

How does your research intersect with real-world challenges?

Two things come to mind. First, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are held up as the gold standard of medical evidence. But in the real world, RCTs are often constrained. In studies of medication safety during pregnancy, randomizing pregnant women is fraught with ethical difficulties, while keeping an RCT running long enough to study neurodevelopment can be prohibitively expensive. Thus, real-world evidence and properly conducted observational studies are needed to study, for example, whether drug X during pregnancy increases risk of autism. Second, when we as the public think about neurodevelopmental conditions, we tend to think about children. But children with neurodevelopmental conditions are aging into adulthood, and their future is uncertain. A study by our team and others, Association of Neurodevelopmental Conditions with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias and Parkinson’s Disease, indicates that autistic persons have a higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases. But studying the brain health of autistic older adults in the real world is difficult because autistic persons also die earlier than non-autistic individuals, and death is the ultimate competing risk for neurodegeneration. So long story short, real-world challenges mean that clever epidemiological methods are often needed in my line of work!

What do you find most rewarding about working in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics?

I have only been working in DBEI for a few weeks but I can tell you that my colleagues here are extraordinary. In terms of faculty, there is a critical mass of collaborative expertise here in DBEI that is truly unique, which is what drew me to join the department. My work spans epidemiological methods, pharmacoepidemiology, genetics, perinatal epidemiology, autism, and neurodegeneration. DBEI is a one-stop shop for all these areas and more. The trainees here whom I’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with have continually impressed me, and their intellectual energy is infectious and inspiring. And last but not least, the highly capable staff are the beating heart of the department and keep everything running smoothly.

Can you share a significant recent project, publication, or professional recognition that you are particularly proud of contributing to or achieving?

I am particularly proud of a 2024 JAMA paper, Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children’s Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability, led by two outstanding PhD students I co-supervised alongside a dear friend of mine since graduate school. Our team found evidence indicating that the link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism or ADHD was non-causal. Surprisingly for a null finding, our study garnered massive public attention, reached the Altmetric top 100 most viewed scientific papers of all time, and was cited in legal rulings. Seeing this study open doors and create well-deserved opportunities for our team members, especially for the early-career folks, has been a highlight of my career and is a great reminder of why mentorship is such a deeply rewarding part of this profession.

What advice would you give to students or early-career professionals in your field?

Quality over quantity! One of my pet peeves is the phrase “more research is needed.” While it is a common refrain (and is a phrase that occasionally appears in my own papers), I think it misses the mark. More research isn’t necessarily needed: better research is. Figure out the gaps in knowledge and find a way to push the field forward by filling those gaps and doing something better.

What is an interest or pastime that you enjoy outside of academia?

My two little boys keep me on my toes. We’re in the phase of life where I can pick up my kids at school while wearing an inflatable penguin costume and still be the cool dad, and I’m enjoying this for as long as I can. When the weather is nice, we’re often playing sports outside; when it’s not, we’re indoors with Pokémon cards and Beyblades. When I get some child-free time, I find running, drinking bubble tea, playing piano (currently: Jean-Philippe Rameau’s complete works), reading (currently: Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey), and watching Fast and Furious or Resident Evil movies to be very therapeutic.