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Walter T Lee

Professor of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences
Head & Neck Surgical Oncology
Duke South Yellow Zone 4000, DUMC Box 3805, Durham, NC 27710
40 Medicine Circle, DUMC Box 3805, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


Global Health, Virtue-Based Professional Development and Leadership, Device Development for Cancer Detection, otolaryngology, ENT, Head and Neck Cancer

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Professor of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences · 2023 - Present Head & Neck Surgical Oncology, Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences
Professor in Radiation Oncology · 2020 - Present Radiation Oncology, Clinical Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2012 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers
Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute · 2019 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers

In the News


Published June 18, 2021
The $600 Medical Device from Duke That Could Help Doctors Detect Throat Cancer

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Recent Publications


Comparison of ENLYT®, a Portable Flexible Nasopharyngoscope, with the Standard of Care Nasopharyngoscope.

Journal Article Surg Innov · December 2025 ObjectivesThis study seeks to compare a newly developed portable flexible nasopharyngoscope (ENLYT®) to the standard of care (SOC) flexible nasopharyngoscope.MethodsSubjects were consented to undergo a nasopharyngeal scope exam using ENLYT® after SOC nasop ... Full text Link to item Cite

Use of a Preliminary Artificial Intelligence-Based Laryngeal Cancer Screening Framework for Low-Resource Settings: Development and Validation Study.

Journal Article JMIR Form Res · October 7, 2025 BACKGROUND: Early-stage diagnosis of laryngeal cancer significantly improves patient survival and quality of life. However, the scarcity of specialists in low-resource settings hinders the timely review of flexible nasopharyngoscopy (FNS) videos, which are ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Role of Sleep Apnea in Postoperative Neurocognitive Disorders Among Older Noncardiac Surgery Patients: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Journal Article Anesth Analg · January 1, 2025 BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with increased dementia risk, yet its role in postoperative neurocognitive disorders is unclear. Here, we studied whether the severity of untreated obstructive sleep apnea is associated with the severity of ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Adapting a machine learning algorithm to predict thyroid cytopathologyin LMIC

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Cancer Institute · 2021 - 2027

Otolaryngology Surgeon- Scientist career Path (OSSP) program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

RAPID System for Early Detection of Head and Neck Cancer in Low-Resource Settings

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


Duke University · 2015 M.H.S.
The George Washington University · 1999 M.D.