Personal information

Name:                      Yena Lee

Current affiliation:    Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

Email:                       [email protected]

Education and work experience

2016-2021               PhD thesis "An Anti-cytokine Agent for Anhedonia: Investigating the Immune-inflammatory System as a Therapeutic Target for Mood Disorders"

                                  Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

                                  Anticipated graduation: May 2021

2012-2016               Honours Bachelor of Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

                                  Majors: Neuroscience, Physiology

                                  Graduated With Distinction

                                  Undergraduate research project "Cognitive Impairment Mediates Workplace Impairment in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Results From the Motivaction Study" (Lee Y, Smofsky A, Nykoliation P, Allain SJ, Lewis-Daly L, Schwartz J, Pollack JH, Tarride J-E, McIntyre RS. 2017. Can J Diabetes. 42(3):289–95)

2008-2012              International Baccalaureate Diploma, Glenforest Secondary School, Mississauga, ON, Canada

                                  Final grade: 42/43 (top 98.4% of IB Diploma candidates globally)

                                  IB Extended Essay "The Subversive Nature of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

Awards and Fellowships

2019-2021             Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships (CGS-D)


                               Canadian Institutes of Health Research

2020                     Early Career Investigator Predoctoral Scholar Award

                              Society of Biological Psychiatry

2019                      Estelle Fisher Memorial Graduate Award

                               University of Toronto

2018                      Provost’s Graduate Scholar-Athlete Award of Excellence

                               University of Toronto

2017                      Ontario Graduate Scholarship

                                School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto & Government of Ontario

Publication metrics

151 publications in peer-reviewed journals (12 first-authored in past 5 years)

h-index: 31

citations: 3208

First-authored publications

Y. Lee, et al., Peripheral inflammatory biomarkers define biotypes of bipolar depression.
Mol. Psychiatry, 1–12 (2021).



Y. Lee, et al., Development and implementation of guidelines for the management of depression: a systematic review.
Bull. World Health Organ. 98, 683–697H (2020).



Y. Lee, et al., Synergistic effect of social media use and psychological distress on depression in China during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. (2020) https:/doi.org/10.1111/pcn.13101.



Y. Lee, et al., Efficacy of adjunctive infliximab vs. placebo in the treatment of anhedonia in bipolar I/II depression.
Brain Behav. Immun. 88, 631–639 (2020).



Y. Lee, T. Kanagasabai, A. V. Rigobon, R. S. McIntyre, V. H. Taylor, Depressive symptom severity mediates the association between sleep disturbance and obesity in US adults: Results from the NHANES.
Ann. Clin. Psychiatry 31, 111–122 (2019).



Y. Lee, et al., Anti-cytokine agents for anhedonia: targeting inflammation and the immune system to treat dimensional disturbances in depression.
Ther Adv Psychopharmacol 8, 337–348 (2018).



Y. Lee, et al., Applications of machine learning algorithms to predict therapeutic outcomes in depression: A meta-analysis and systematic review.
J. Affect. Disord. 241, 519–532 (2018).



Y. Lee, et al., Is binge eating a cognitive disorder? Results from the International Mood Disorders Collaborative Project.
Ann. Clin. Psychiatry 30, 25–31 (2018).



Y. Lee, et al., Efficacy of antidepressants on measures of workplace functioning in major depressive disorder: A systematic review.
J. Affect. Disord. 227, 406–415 (2017).



Y. Lee, et al., Cognitive Impairment Mediates Workplace Impairment in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Results From the Motivaction Study.
Can J Diabetes 42, 289–295 (2018).



Y. Lee, et al., A New Perspective on the Anti-Suicide Effects With Ketamine Treatment: A Procognitive Effect.
J. Clin. Psychopharmacol. 36, 50–56 (2016).