Lee C. Zhao, MD

Dr. Zhao is a surgeon’s surgeon. While he is a man of few words, his surgical work is nothing short of exceptional. My son’s case was so complex that many other doctors deemed it 'impossible,' yet Dr. Zhao achieved what others couldn't. His reputation precedes him—even our other pediatric urologist was so impressed by the results that she now wants to collaborate with him for her future patients. Do not let Dr. Zhao’s quiet demeanor fool you

The very best. Dr. Zhao performed a complicated reparative surgery on my son, a young man, over 6 months after a near fatal car accident, and after my son had an unsuccessful procedure with a skillful surgeon in another state. My son is restored to health and we are profoundly grateful. I cannot fathom the rare negative reviews I have seen for him, because we found him to be not only brilliant, but also compassionate, articulate, kindly straightforward, and, particularly considering his circumstances, he conducted himself with humility. We found all his team members to be excellent as well, superstars in their own right, extremely focused on my son's well-being and very responsive. Considering Dr. Zhao's demanding schedule, including much international travel disseminating his expertise, I would have forgiven him for being rushed and abrupt, but that was not our experience at all. We are convinced that no one, anywhere, could have done better, and our entire family is forever grateful.

I had two surgeries with Dr. Zhao. One in 2018 and the other in 2019. My issue was complicated and I had been avoiding having surgery for years due to not finding a surgeon that I was comfortable could handle my case. He was recommended to me by another urologist and after meeting him once, I was instantly at ease and knew I was in good hands. The scheduling process was long for the appointment and then it was another 2 months to schedule the surgery both times. Communication was very good on the first surgery. Not so great with the second one. I was scheduled to see his assistant surgeon for the follow up visits on the second surgery. In hindsight, I should have asked to see him. Wait times for visits were usually decent. The most important factor to me was the results of the surgeries. He did a great job and I would highly recommend him for his skill as a surgeon.

My husband saw Dr. Zhao several years ago when he had just come to NYU Langone. We could not have asked for a better doctor. My husband was extremely nervous about having a particular surgical procedure . We had visited several other physicians prior to Dr. Lee Zhao, and we found him to have a great bedside manner, to be extremely patient, sensitive and informative, He answered all our calls. He did not rush or pressure my husband even though we needed to see him several times before my husband agreed to the procedure. I could not say anything negative about him. The procedure was successful as this was one of the doctor’s specialties. On follow up visits he was always sensitive, pleasant, and compassionate. I think my husband and I and Dr. Zhao had a mutual affection for each other. However, after awhile he became extremely busy because he was in great demand due to his unique skill and expertise in this particular procedure, particularly in this area of the country. The problem was… that very few urologic surgeons were interested in his particular area so I think he became overwhelmingly busy and consequently had little help. I kept telling him he should slow down because he had no life and was working all the time. He also traveled all over the world to impart his skills. He did have a wonderful Fellow who was there for a year but he left after his Fellowship year was over. I am distressed to read the negative reviews because we had nothing but positive things to say about him. To us he was a “mensch” and unusual for a surgeon. Sadly my husband passed away in 2017 ( of unrelated causes) and I left the doctor a message to call me for “personal reasons” He called me back and I told him the news. I am so sorry for the unpleasant experiences others have had with him. I just think he is too busy.

I read some of the comments and I couldn't believe a doctor of urology would say he hates doing urology procedures and doesn't answer phones. I was hesitant to write a review because I thought I who be out of place. But folks what you read about this man is true. I wrote messages on mychart which were so sweet and full of respect for him and nice but after many months he never answered my messages. So I told him he was rude and share some of the rewiews on this to show him I was not the only person to feel this way. Instead of answering he told me through any party that I was abusive, when that was a lie. I was just stating the truth. This man can take truth and say call it a lie. He call night day! I was so nice to him and he was so abusive to me, yet he turns truth and niceness into absurdity. He is a sick man. I know he is well versed in his medical craft and probably very skilled at it. But as a person he is sick and turns things around to suit his sick mind. I feel sorry for… him. But people are people and even skilled people can be disturbed. In this review I would say keep away from him as other people has said. I only wish I could help him and his associate because they do need help - yes these are doctors. It seems like a joke, but if you stung be them, it is no laughing matter. So find doctors that indeed have good reviews. Each individual has to do their due diligence in making sure they are getting the right health care.

Flew to NYC from Chicago for a consultation on vaginoplasty with Dr Zhao and Dr Bluebond. Years before, I received radiation treatments & Dr Zhao was not familiar in with indications of performing surgery on previously radiated flesh & couldn't describe potential complications and couldn't answer any of my questions. He said he'd have to get back to me. Dr Zhao ignored my once a month calls over 9 months. When I finally reached him, he hadn't done any research nor did he have any new answers. He simply didn't have the experience with a cancer survivor and he had 0 interest in working with me/ Dr Zhao told me to find a surgeon close to where I live. NYU Lagone is a 'high volume' gender affirming surgical center and their schedule is filled with easier cases. I would hve been too time consuming for Dr Zhao. I've never experience a more lazy Dr with such an intense lack of empathy for a potential patient. Their Trans

I was a surgical patient of Dr. Zhao, referred by another NYU Urologist. I presented with what I was told by Dr. Zhao was a very simple issue. When I told him why I was there, he said "Yeah, I can do that." He then quickly explained the procedure and told me he would have his scheduler call me. The whole appointment was under three minutes. Two weeks pass, I don't hear from anyone. After several follow-up calls, I was finally given a surgical date and I ask to please speak to Dr. Zhou to get a better sense of what I should expect immediately following surgery. I was assured that my message will be passed along. Similar to others' experiences, Dr. Zhou never called, despite my calling and leaving several messages with his receptionist(s) and sending messages via MyChart. Finally, the night before surgery, after explaining that I wouldn't be showing up for the procedure in the morning if I didn't speak with the doctor, I received a call from Dr. Zhao's resident, who was in an airport at… the time and clearly annoyed to be making this call. At this point, I was still hopeful that Dr. Zhao would show up at game time but, other that a very quick hello before I was taken to the operating room where he again quickly explained the technique he would be using, I didn't see him. He did not come to the recovery room after the procedure, either. Long story short, the procedure was not successful. When I followed up with Dr. Zhao, he first told me that he "must have at least made the issue 90% better" (he hadn't) and that I should learn to live with the current situation because he "could be kidnapped by ISIS tomorrow" leaving me with no one who could perform a revision. He then suggested I follow up with one of his residents.

Appointment was a complete waste of time. Basically told me to go home and learn to live with my condition. They tried cancelling the appointment on me beforehand but I just wanted a second opinion. The first surgeon offered me testing and options. All he did was make excuses and was looking to exit the room as soon as he entered. It really was like pulling teeth asking him questions about my health. He just gave vague answers and completely contradicted what the first and more experienced surgeon told me. I had a bad feeling going into this appointment after seeing some of his reviews. I don't know who in their right mind would give him an excellent rating when he won't even sit down to talk to you.

Couldn't get past office staff. Came from out of town. got told dr out of town and left me a new day and time on an out of date no from over 10 years ago.

He was dismissive and condescending. As luck would have it I Had to have another surgery for another issue however it required some information from my uurologist. I called him repeatedly even on the day of the other surgery and he simply refused to return my phone calls. Who ever heard of a doctor being called repeatedly throughout a week, being told the patient absolutely needed to speak with him before a surgery and that doctor would not return a call? Is tgis some kind od joke? I've a good mind to report him to the hospital management. During my meeting with him he told me how much he hates performing certain urological procedures. Bizarro. I am really not sure what to think but I will certainly never go back to this doctor. He is lacking in bedside manner.