Dr. Rhee is the Chief of Acute Care Surgery and Medical Director at Marcus Trauma Center, Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Previously, Dr. Rhee held appointments as Director of the Navy Trauma Training Center; Attending Surgeon at Los Angeles County Medical Center; Professor of Surgery at the University of Southern California; and Professor of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). Academically, Dr. Rhee received a BS in Health Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology (summa cum laude, 1983), a MD from USUHS (1987), a MPH in Health Services from the University of Washington (1995), and a Diploma in the Medical Care of Catastrophes from the Society of Apothecaries of London (1999). He completed his internship in surgery at Balboa Naval Hospital (1987-1988) and his residency in general surgery at the University of California at Irvine (1988-1992). Dr. Rhee also completed a Fellowship in Trauma and Critical Care at the University of Washington’s Harborview Medical Center (1993-1995). He is double boarded in general surgery and surgical critical care.

Dr. Rhee is a retired US Navy Captain following 24 years of active duty with numerous shipboard deployments and with the US Marines. He has served in Afghanistan and Iraq during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of Critical Care Medicine, as well as a member of the American Surgical Association, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma; Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma; Western Trauma Association; the Society of University Surgeons; the Association for Academic Surgery; the Society of Critical Care; and the Shock Society. He is also a member of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma. He serves on numerous national and university committees, is a member of numerous Editorial Boards.

Dr. Rhee has also authored or co-authored over 290 peer reviewed publications and 20 books chapters and books, and is a highly sought after speaker as he has delivered over 600 talks including being invited as the commencement speaker at the University of Arizona in 2012. He is a founding member of the Tactical Combat Casualty Care Committee (TCCC) and also serves on National steering committees and national trauma research committees including the Defense Health Board’s Subcommittee on Trauma & Injury and the Committee on Tactical Combat Casualty Care as well as the Federal Drug Administration’s blood products advisory committee, the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium’s protocol review committee and drug safety and monitoring board. His areas of research interest includes hemorrhagic shock, suspended animation for trauma, hemostatic agents, resuscitation immunology and formulation of resuscitation fluids, Traumatic brain injury, transfusion and coagulopathy, trauma training, and advanced portable electronic medical devices including ones for communication and documentation. His national interests includes improved trauma on the Indian reservations, improved gun control and prevention of gun violence, suicide prevention and finally improved disaster preparedness. He is also the author of the book “Trauma Red: Making of a surgeon in war and America’s cities”.