Avellino Labs Founder Gene Lee Receives 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor
Avellino Labs announced the company’s founder, chairman, and president, Gene Lee, is a recipient of a 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. In addition, Mr. Lee has been appointed to the World Economic Forum’s Precision Medicine Council.
One of the nation’s most prestigious awards, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor is presented to both native-born and naturalized U.S. citizens for accomplishments in their field and inspired service to the nation. Mr. Lee was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his pioneering work in gene therapy and molecular diagnostics at a ceremony on Ellis Island on May 11. Past medal recipients include seven U.S. presidents, world and business leaders, and Nobel Laureates.
As a member of the Precision Medicine Council for the World Economic Forum, Mr. Lee will be collaborating with a team of global experts to support the building and testing of policy frameworks to realize the benefits of precision medicine for society. Their goal is to identify, design and pilot innovative projects that address and conquer challenges in precision medicine.
“I am proud and honored to be recognized by two such respected organizations committed to the betterment of society,” Mr. Lee said in a news release. “Our work at Avellino Labs is singularly focused on advancing the application of genetic technologies to deliver on the promise of precision medicine for improved healthcare outcomes for all.”
The World Economic Forum has previously recognized Mr. Lee’s contributions in the field of precision medicine, first in 2015 by naming Avellino Labs as a Technology Pioneer, based on its potential and actual impact on global health. In 2017, Mr. Lee became the first Korean member of the World Economic Forum’s Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution helping to maximize the benefits of science and technology for society.
A biopharma entrepreneur, Mr. Lee founded Avellino Labs in 2008 in South Korea with the goal of creating opportunities for early detection of corneal diseases. Since then, Avellino Labs has introduced the world’s first DNA test to confirm the presence of genetic indicators associated with corneal diseases, providing life-changing information for patient treatment decisions and follow-up care. Avellino Labs has helped save, to date, more than 1,000 individuals worldwide from potential blindness as a result of genetic disease.
Mr. Lee graduated from Yonsei University’s Graduate School of Economics with a Master’s degree in Economics. He received a Professional Certificate in Genetics and Genomics from Stanford University.