As regional medical director for Mental Health and chief of Psychiatry for Kaiser Permanente’s Baltimore service area, Christina Lee, MD, has transformed access, quality, and awareness across Maryland and the surrounding region. A triple-board certified psychiatrist, Dr. Lee brings a compassionate, whole-person approach to care, serving children and adults while driving system-wide innovations that support nearly 800,000 members. Dr. Lee and has been named a Mental Health Hero by The Daily Record as part of its 2025 Health Care Heroes Awards.
With more than a decade of service at Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Lee has led some of the region’s most significant mental health initiatives. In the face of a national shortage of psychiatric professionals, she successfully recruited 12 new psychiatrists in 2024 specializing in Adult, Child, and Addiction Psychiatry, improving appointment availability across the region.
Dr. Lee has also expanded Kaiser’s external provider network for psychotherapy, contributing to a 31 percent increase in total therapy visits in 2024. Patients are able to book therapy appointments within 10 business days or less—ensuring timely, effective support. She has pioneered efforts to integrate primary care and crisis care therapy, now guaranteeing crisis care appointments within 48 hours.
Under her leadership, Kaiser Permanente has expanded specialty care services, including autism spectrum evaluations, Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) assessments, and a groundbreaking executive functioning program for adults—critical resources for some of the region’s youngest and most vulnerable patients.
Dr. Lee, who is also a Baltimore Top Doctor, is a dynamic mental health advocate and educator. Over the past year, she’s given more than 18 interviews to local and national media, appeared in multiple social media videos, and launched a podcast episode to help teens and adults navigate common mental health challenges—including anxiety, depression, negative thought spirals and seasonal sadness. She also provides continuing medical education (CME) for physicians, advocating for better depression treatment in primary care, suicide prevention, and culturally responsive care.
Dr. Lee’s passion for mental health is rooted in her early career as a Teach for America educator, where she witnessed firsthand the emotional burdens her students carried and the transformative power of empathy and trust. That experience continues to inspire her work today.
Whether improving care access or inspiring the next generation of psychiatrists, Dr. Lee’s leadership is reshaping the mental health landscape. Her deep clinical insight, community advocacy, and unwavering dedication to patient well-being make her a true Mental Health Hero.
Details about all the 2025 Health Care Heroes are online at thedailyrecord.com