Remembering Gary P. Lees, CMI, FAMI
Dear Colleagues,
With sadness, we share with you that Gary Lees, former director of the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine (1983–2017) and an international leader in the education of professional medical illustrators, died Dec. 20 at age 81.
After graduating from Tulane University with a bachelor’s degree in zoology, Gary attended the University of Houston’s fine arts program and went on to earn a master’s degree in medical illustration from the University of Michigan. He joined Johns Hopkins in 1970 as an illustrator for the Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute and an instructor in the medical and biological illustration graduate program. Gary was promoted to assistant professor in 1972, associate professor in 1980 and professor in 2016. He was named director of the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine in 1983.
A transformative leader, Gary led the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine through a period of revolutionary change. This encompassed the incredible — sometimes daunting — transition of medical illustration from entirely hand-drawn and hand-delivered artwork to digitally produced and disseminated masterpieces. He established and built programs that ensured the department’s technology and curriculum remained in the vanguard of the field, adding such innovations as 3D animation and sculpture and interactive design to the multifaceted disciplines in which the department excels. His careful stewardship helped maintain the department’s reputation as among the finest in the world.
Gary was known for his devotion to his students and faculty, dedication to advancing their education and careers, attention to detail, grace and good humor. As director of the Johns Hopkins graduate program in medical and biological illustration from 1983 to 2013, he developed and taught over 30 courses and advised 75 graduate students for their master’s essays.
Among numerous awards throughout his career, Gary was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Brödel Award for Excellence in Education from the Association of Medical Illustrators. Additionally, he received the Johns Hopkins Ranice W. Crosby Distinguished Achievement Award in 2019 for his scholarly contributions to the field of art as applied to the medical sciences. In 2022, Gary was honored by the Johns Hopkins Medicine Alumni Association and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with a Johns Hopkins portrait unveiling at an awards ceremony.
After 50 years in the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine, Gary retired in 2020. Over the course of his career, Gary contributed illustrations to more than 100 publications, prepared numerous scientific and historical exhibits, and taught more than 225 graduate students.
As professor emeritus, he continued teaching, providing his invaluable guidance to future medical illustrators, and ensuring preservation of the department’s Max Brödel archives and extensive historical collection.
Gary is survived by his wife, Tina, of Boynton Beach, Florida, and his son, Ryan, of Baltimore. Contributions in Gary’s memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org. A tribute to Gary will be held at Johns Hopkins on Friday, April 11th, 3:00-5:00 pm, in the West Reading Room of the Welch Medical Library.
Please join us in extending our deepest condolences to Gary’s family.
Sincerely,
Theodore L. DeWeese, M.D.
The Frances Watt Baker, M.D., and Lenox D. Baker Jr., M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine
Corinne Sandone, M.A., C.M.I.
Professor and Director
Department of Art as Applied to Medicine
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine