Editor's Note: Lee D. Rose is an architect and real estate executive with a professional background in architecture and extensive experience in architectural design, healthcare facility development, and real estate management.

He currently serves as the head of real estate affairs at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, with the official title of Assistant Vice President, Real Estate (AVP, Real Estate). SUNY Downstate's official materials identify him as an architect and state that he leads the university's Real Estate Operations department. The department is responsible for managing the real estate assets of the Health Science Center at Brooklyn Foundation (HSCB Foundation) and participates in real estate development, architectural design coordination, construction, and project management for the university's healthcare, academic, and administrative facilities.

Looking at his professional experience, Lee Rose's work goes far beyond conventional real estate management. According to SUNY Downstate, the team he leads possesses comprehensive expertise in architecture, construction and real estate and is responsible for a wide range of work, from architectural design coordination and the review of contracts and drawings to construction supervision, facility development, and real estate development. Before joining Downstate, he was also responsible for the development and construction of healthcare spaces in New York City and Long Island, while managing a real estate portfolio consisting of 13 buildings.

Currently, I serve as Assistant Vice President of Real Estate at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn.

I am also part of the HSCB Foundation. It is a private nonprofit organization primarily dedicated to supporting the mission and development of SUNY Downstate.

I was fortunate to be born in Brooklyn. In fact, I grew up in Brooklyn's Chinatown and also attended school in Brooklyn. After graduating from high school, I joined the United States Navy and served for 22 years, including four years of active duty and 18 years in the Navy Reserve.

During my military service, I had the opportunity to travel around the world, serve my country, and take part in many military operations and conflicts in different regions of the world.

After completing four years of active duty in the Navy, I returned to New York and studied architecture at the City College of New York. After graduating, I began working in New York City.

I actually lived in Westchester County and worked there for many years. Later, I returned to Brooklyn and began working at SUNY Downstate in 2011.

Before that, I also worked for other real estate companies, serving in positions such as account manager and project manager, and my work took me to many places across the United States.

I believe all of these experiences have helped me tremendously and prepared me for the work I do today—building healthcare facilities and hospitals and providing critically needed services to local communities in Central Brooklyn.

This area has long been underserved in terms of healthcare resources, and we are currently working to provide the community with these essential services, most of which are related to healthcare.

At the same time, we also involve students in this work and provide them with practical experience.

We are a teaching hospital, and we also have a university and medical school integrated with the hospital. We hold a very important position in medical education in Brooklyn. SUNY Downstate is also one of the largest employers in the area.

Our medical school ranks second in Brooklyn and 17th in the United States. However, it is a relatively small medical school, with approximately 200 students. Overall, I believe we bring tremendous benefits to the community and provide residents with many essential services that they cannot do without.

Overall, working at SUNY Downstate has been an extremely valuable experience for me. I am able to contribute my professional knowledge and experience and give back to Brooklyn, the city where I grew up, while helping to build it into a center of excellence for healthcare and education.

That is how we view our work, and it reflects the philosophy behind the services we provide. We always strive to do our very best.