Richard Lee, PhD, was awarded a Presidential Citation for his dedication and passion to bring much needed awareness to the experiences of transracial adoptees, especially Korean adoptees in the U.S.
An innovative critical thinker who seamlessly translates science into practice, Lee has changed the face of recent Asian-American research in psychology. His involvement with The Minnesota International Adoption Project Team has encouraged researchers, clinicians, parents and adoptees to begin the necessary dialogue about more than 150,000 Korean adoptees in the U.S. who struggle with unique racial identity development processes and racism that their adoptive families do not face. In collaboration with the Center for Personalized Prevention Research in Children's Mental Health at the University of Minnesota, Lee engages in community-based research on the cultural adaptation of evidence-based prevention programs for racial and ethnic minority populations. A past president of the Asian-American Psychological Association, he also served on the APA Presidential Task Force on Immigration. Associate editor and editor elect for Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, he is also a consulting editor for Child Development, Adoption Quarterly and Asian American Journal of Psychology. As a teacher, researcher, clinician and a role model, Lee continues to provide well-rounded and in-depth perspectives on everyday struggles of transracial adoptees in the United States.