About

Hau Lee is the Carl and Marilyn Thoma Professor in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University, now emeritus. He holds a BSocSc in Economics and Statistics from Hong Kong University, obtained in 1974, a Master of Science from the London School of Economics in Operational Research, earned in 1975, and a PhD in Operations Research from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, completed in 1983. His academic background spans economics, statistics, operational research, and operations management. As a faculty member at Stanford, he is associated with the Graduate School of Business, contributing to research and teaching in his field.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Political Science
• Internal medicine
• Humanities
• Emergency medicine
• Clinical psychology
• Law
• Gerontology
• Anesthesia
• Art
• Intensive care medicine
• Nursing
• Medical emergency

Selected publications

• Misinformation and disinformation undermine progress in pediatric research: challenges and solutions

  Pediatric Research · 2025-10-06 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Antenatal Prediction of Early Cord Clamping among Infants Born Extremely Preterm

  The Journal of Pediatrics · 2025-10-31

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Escalation of Care for Late Preterm Infants During the Birth Hospitalization

  Hospital Pediatrics · 2025-11-06

  articleSenior author

  OBJECTIVE: Late preterm infants represent nearly a quarter of a million infants born in the United States annually. There is a known variation in admission location for these infants. The objective of this study was to identify the timing and reasons for transfer for late preterm infants requiring an escalation in care during the birth hospitalization. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This single-center retrospective cohort study examined the birth hospitalization for late preterm infants (34 + 0 to 36 + 6 weeks) born between 2019 and 2021, specifically focusing on infants requiring an escalation to a higher level of care. Infants with congenital anomalies expecting neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission were excluded. The analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Of 1022 infants, 150 symptomatic infants were admitted to the level III/IV NICU at birth. Of the remaining 872 infants, 14% (n = 124) received escalation of care (n = 77 from level I to II, 25 from level I to III/IV, 22 from level II to III/IV). The most common reasons for escalation were need for respiratory support (n = 32, 26%), cardiorespiratory monitoring (n = 31, 25%), thermoregulation (n = 29, 23%), and dextrose-containing intravenous fluids (n = 27, 22%). Infants required escalation of care at a median of 12.5 hours after birth (IQR 4-40 hours, range 0-133), with 50% (n = 62) occurring within the first 12 hours and 67% (n = 83) within 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS: Escalation of care for late preterm infants most frequently occurs in the first 24 hours after birth. The most frequent reasons for escalation were the need for respiratory support, followed by cardiorespiratory monitoring and thermoregulation.

  PublisherDOI

• Global, regional, and national burden of neonatal encephalopathy due to birth asphyxia and trauma, 1990–2019

  Chinese Medical Journal · 2025-07-10

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Neonatal encephalopathy (NE) due to birth asphyxia and trauma has become the second leading cause of global neonatal and under-5 deaths. However, comprehensive data on the global NE burden is scarce. This study aimed to determine the global, regional, and national trends in NE burden from 1990 to 2019, utilizing the 2019 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study data. METHODS: Annual incident cases, deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and age-standardized rates (incidence [ASIR], mortality [ASMR], DALYs) of NE were collected from the 2019 GBD study. The percentage of relative changes and estimated annual percentage changes (EAPCs) were calculated to assess temporal trends. RESULTS: NE global incident cases increased from 1.33 million in 1990 to 1.38 million in 2019, with a 4.87% rise in ASIR. Global NE deaths remained at 0.57 million in 2019, despite a 29.88% reduction from 1990. Significant annual reductions in ASMR and DALYs were observed post-2005. South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 80.00% of global NE cases, with South Asia, Eastern and Western sub-Saharan Africa contributing to 81.42% of global deaths and 79.50% of DALYs. NE-related deaths comprised 22.76% and 11.24% of neonatal and under-5 mortality. There were 3.91 million epilepsy, 4.23 million developmental intellectual disability, and 0.57 million blindness cases caused by NE globally in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a significant reduction in NE mortality from 1990 to 2019, the ongoing rise in incidence, particularly in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, is alarming. Targeted initiatives to prevent NE are needed, especially tailored to high-burden regions.

  PublisherDOI

• The Value of a Cross-Disciplinary Approach to Human and System Performance Research in Obstetrics and Neonatology: AHRQ’s Patient Safety Learning Laboratory

  Journal of Patient Safety · 2025-09-23

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  OBJECTIVE: In creating an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Learning Laboratory (PSLL), our objective has been to establish a multidisciplinary research environment focused on the safe care of pregnant women and newborns. This manuscript describes work performed under grants P30 HS023506 (obstetric focus) and R18 HS029123 (neonatal focus). METHODS: We follow AHRQ's 5-step approach to systems engineering in health care: problem analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Within this 5-step approach, methods used include interviews, focus groups, direct observation, teamwork scales, flow disruption analysis, the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model, design thinking, and simulation-based testing of processes and prototypes. RESULTS: Grant P30 HS023506 is completed. The physical characteristics of 10 labor and delivery units were examined, finding significant heterogeneity in size, design, and organization. Task analysis revealed multiple obstacles to optimal team performance. We designed and tested a delayed cord clamping cart to address inherent ergonomic challenges. Finally, we identified common lapses in verbal communication during obstetric emergencies. Grant R18 HS029123 is ongoing. Eighteen Need Statements serve as the basis for exploratory work in mitigating threats to neonates during resuscitation, including a task analysis to determine points of intervention. We are developing (a) novel resuscitation platforms, (b) improved methods of equipment/supply organization, (c) new means of acquiring, displaying, and processing multiple data streams, and (d) innovative techniques and devices for neonatal intubation. CONCLUSIONS: The approach to systems engineering in health care supported by AHRQ's PSLL funding mechanism fosters critical thinking about safety issues by facilitating the integration of investigators with diverse, complementary expertise. By encouraging such collaboration, AHRQ's 5-step process enables important questions to be answered. The PSLL mechanism is a valuable resource for the patient safety community.

  PublisherDOI

• Neonatal Life Support: 2025 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Consensus on Science With Treatment Recommendations

  Circulation · 2025-10-21 · 15 citations

  review

  The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation continually reviews new, peer-reviewed cardiopulmonary resuscitation science and publishes comprehensive reviews every 5 years. The Neonatal Life Support chapter of the 2025 International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation Consensus on Science With Treatment Recommendations addresses all published resuscitation evidence reviewed by the Neonatal Life Support Task Force science experts since 2020. This summary addresses 40 questions on population, intervention, comparator, and outcomes, addressing all parts of the Neonatal Resuscitation Algorithm. The summary includes 4 new systematic reviews, 2 new scoping reviews, and evidence updates for other topics. Members of the Neonatal Life Support Task Force have assessed, discussed, and debated the quality of the evidence on the basis of Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria, and their statements include consensus treatment recommendations. Insights into the deliberations of the task force are provided in the Justification and Evidence-to-Decision Framework Highlights sections. In addition, the task force lists priority knowledge gaps for further research.

  PublisherDOI

• Meconium-related obstruction: Contemporary experience in a multi-institutional consortium

  Journal of Pediatric Surgery · 2025-08-13 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: Neonatal bowel obstruction secondary to inspissated meconium has been historically associated with cystic fibrosis. Increasingly, meconium-related obstruction (MRO) has been observed in preterm infants. We conducted a multicenter mixed-methods study to better characterize the contemporary experience with MRO. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of infants with MRO was performed at seven children's hospitals from 2018 to 2022. Chi-squared tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and logistic regression were used to assess the association of cystic fibrosis, Hirschsprung disease, and prematurity with treatment strategies and clinical outcomes of MRO. Providers were surveyed regarding their management of MRO of prematurity. RESULTS: We identified 105 infants treated for MRO, including 54 (51 %) with MRO of prematurity, 16 (15 %) with Hirschsprung disease, 6 (6 %) with cystic fibrosis, and 29 (28 %) with MRO of the term infant. Overall, 32 % (n = 34) received glycerin suppositories, 25 % (n = 26) rectal irrigation, 79 % (n = 83) contrast enemas, and 6 % (n = 6) retrograde or antegrade N-acetylcysteine. Twenty-seven (26 %) infants required surgery for MRO, of whom 21 (78 %) had MRO of prematurity. For infants with MRO of prematurity, a one-week increase in gestational age was associated with a 23 % decrease in the odds of requiring surgery (OR = 0.77; 95%CI = 0.64-0.93). Survey responses from 42 providers suggested limited institutional treatment algorithms for MRO. CONCLUSION: In this multi-institutional study, most cases of MRO were associated with prematurity. Extent of prematurity was associated with a higher likelihood of requiring surgery. Results from this contemporary cohort study and survey provide a framework for developing a prevention and treatment algorithm for MRO of prematurity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Administration of 100% Oxygen during Deferred Cord Clamping Does Not Cause Systemic Hyperoxia in Infants Born Extremely Preterm

  The Journal of Pediatrics · 2025-10-31

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Multimodal Approach to Intraventricular Hemorrhage Using Echocardiography, Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, and Electrical Cardiometry in Preterm Infants

  Research Square · 2025-08-27

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Optimizing Oxygen Strategy During Delayed Cord Clamping—Reply

  JAMA Pediatrics · 2025-10-27

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Maternal, Clinician & Hospital Factors in Breastmilk for Premature Infants

  NIH · $520k · 2012–2016

• In situ simulation of neonatal resuscitation to improve team performance and clinical outcomes

  NIH · $1.9M · 2016–2022

• Improving outcomes of periviable births via an enhanced prediction tool

  NIH · $1.7M · 2023–2025

Frequent coauthors

• Jochen Profit

  134 shared

• Jeffrey B. Gould

  97 shared

• M. G. Richer

  81 shared

• Ritu Chitkara

  Stanford Medicine

  78 shared

• Nicole K. Yamada

  Stanford University

  71 shared

• Louis P. Halamek

  Stanford University

  71 shared

• Eugene Chuvyrov

  60 shared

• Mihoko V. Bennett

  59 shared

Education

• MD

  University of Illiois at Chicago College of Medicine