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Dr. Joe Lee Recognized as a Twin Cities Business Magazine 2025 Notable Health Care Leader
Center City, Minn (February 10, 2025) – Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation's President and CEO, Dr. Joseph Lee, was recognized today as one of thirteen Twin Cities Business Magazine's "Notable Health Care Leaders" for 2025.
"This acknowledgement is well-deserved and pays tribute to Dr. Lee's trailblazing innovation, patient-centered clinical excellence, and values-based leadership," said MaryPat Woodard, Chair of Hazelden Betty Ford's Board of Trustees. "We know and love him for his humility, empathy, grace and love for our patients and our mission, and appreciate this opportunity to lift up this recognition for him."
Dr. Lee and his fellow honorees were selected based on their ability to advance patient care, pioneer medical innovations, and foster inclusive community-focused health solutions in the Twin Cities and beyond, according to the magazine. The magazine's annual list of Notable Health Care Leaders has recognized dozens of Minnesota health care leaders for their ability to affect change in their areas of practice.
Under Dr. Lee's leadership, Hazelden Betty Ford has amplified its mental health services to go hand-in-hand with its industry leading addiction treatment continuum. In a fragmented behavioral health space, Dr. Lee believes in combining the best of Hazelden Betty Ford's clinical services with the organization's publishing arm, graduate school, Butler center for research and family and children's offerings to create unparalleled value for patients and families in need.
Dr. Lee is one of the most sought-after thought leaders on addiction treatment and mental health care in the world. He is known widely for his love-inspired, science-powered approach to care and impassioned advocacy for all people who are affected by substance use and mental health conditions.
A triple-board certified physician, Dr. Lee completed his fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry from John Hopkins Hospital, his adult psychiatry residency at Duke University Hospital and his medical degree at the University of Oklahoma. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine and a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. He also serves on the board of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers and is chair of the board at the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation.
Dr. Lee has held the position of President and CEO at Hazelden Betty Ford since 2021. He and his wife and two sons live in the Twin Cities.
About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient addiction and mental health care for adults and youth, the Foundation has treatment centers and telehealth services nationwide as well as a network of collaborators throughout health care. Through charitable support and a commitment to innovation, the Foundation is able to continually enhance care, research, programs and services, and help more people. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in its services and throughout the organization, which also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction.
