Biography

 

Dr Chenault* “Doug” Lee graduated from the University of New South Wales (Australia)  Medical School  in 1979. In order to finance his university tuition, he took on many  part time jobs. These included working as waiter, kitchen hand, taxi driver, wedding photographer, factory worker, building labourer, storeman packer, car detailer, swimming pool attendant, draftsman, and  car park attendant. His experience  with a broad spectrum of the general working population helped him gain insights on the fears and aspirations of the working class.

After graduation, he worked in general practices in various city and country practices in Thornleigh, Southerland, Newcastle, Gosford, Albury, Cloncurry and  Mt Isa.  In 1984, he undertook further training in obstetrics and was awarded Diplomas in Obstetrics by the Royal Colleges of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in New Zealand and Australia.

Eventually, he established a family medical practice in South Canberra and worked in that same location as a “family doctor” for over 30 years.

All family doctors are GPs but not all GPs are “family doctors”.

“Family doctors” are committed to stay in the same location for a long time in order to provide preventive, proactive, continuous and personal care for their patients and the patients’ families.

Dr Lee is a good listener and lateral thinker. He holds the view that health cannot be taken for granted, and that doctor and patients need to work together in order to achieve their health goals, using natural remedies,  lifestyle modifications, mindfulness training and cognitive re-conditioning. Pharmaceutical intervention will be used when necessary.

He had delivered close to 400 babies in his career. He was among the last handful of practicing GP obstetricians to quit when  GP obstetric was abolished in Canberra in 1997.

He also has a keen interest in mental health, occupational health , practice management, and aviation medicine. He has published many articles in medical journals and given public addresses on these topics.  One of his area in which he is most passionate is the diagnosis, differentiation, and treatment of Depression, Anxiety, Stress, and suicide prevention.

*For those who are interested in war histories, Dr Lee’s parents did not give him an English name.  He had aspired to be a fighter pilot. When Japan invaded China in 1937, China did not have much of an Air Force. Chinese cities were at the mercy of Japanese bombers.  General Claire Lee Chennault came to China’s aid with  a group of American Volunteers (AVG).  They were affectionately known as the “Flying Tigers”. Under resourced and ill-equipped, the Flying Tigers scored outstanding victories against the Japanese invaders. When Dr Lee’s high school teacher from England had difficulty pronouncing the Chinese names of his charges, he asked them each to adopt an English name. Dr Lee took the name Chenault, after his childhood hero.