Lee Aase

Who is Lee Aase?

Lee Aase is an American pioneer in using social media tools in the hospital environment, and is an advocate for social media adoption in health care.

Aase received his Bachelor's Degree in Political Science from Minnesota State University, Mankato. From 1986 through 2000, he was employed in U.S. politics and government at the local, state and federal level, concluding as press secretary for former U.S. congressman Gil Gutknecht. His earliest political forays ranged from field work to campaign management for a variety of Republican Party entities.

In 2000, Aase began work at Mayo Clinic as a member of its media relations team, becoming the team’s manager in 2004. Following a steady production of television news feeds and radio programs, he launched Mayo Clinic’s first podcast in 2005. Aase subsequently led Mayo in developing an extensive library of podcasts, blogs, a YouTube channel, a Facebook page and a Twitter profile. In 2008, he became Mayo Clinic’s manager for syndication and social media. In 2010, he became the Director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, a first-of-its-kind social media center focused on health care, built on the Mayo Clinic's leadership among health providers in adopting social media tools. This new Social Media Center was established with the collaborative assistance of Victor Montori, M.D., Mayo Clinic's Medical Director. To date, the Mayo Clinic touts the most popular medical provider channel on YouTube.