'It's a system that allows abuse' - Dr Dominique Lee on fighting for reform after landmark sexual assault case

With a rediscovered sense of purpose, she has become a fierce warrior for medical culture reform and has written a book about her experience.

When Dr Dominique (Yoo Young) Lee held her son for the first time, life changed in an instant. She now felt she had something to live for. Up until that moment, she had thought seriously about ending her life because she had been sexually assaulted by a male supervisor she liked, admired and looked up to.

In her recently released memoir What's Been Broken is all the More Sharp, the radiation oncologist shares her story about the assault, the court case, how she survived, reclaimed her power and literally rediscovered her voice.

Ten years ago, as a junior doctor, Dominique made history as the first doctor to successfully win a criminal court case against a senior professor for sexual assault. It was a landmark case that broke the silence surrounding abuse in medicine.

The experience not only transformed her life but also sparked a national conversation about safety, accountability and culture within the medical profession.

In her book What's Been Broken is All the More Sharp, Dr Dominique Lee tells her story about the assault, the court case, how she survived and reclaimed her power.

Beneath the polished surface however, that competent, composed and admired doctor was barely getting through the day.

Three years ago, after reading a story from the UK about sexual assault and harassment statistics in her profession, the oncologist decided to out herself and gave an interview to a major Australian news outlet.

Until then Dominique had been anonymous (as sexual assault complainants are not usually allowed to be named in Australian courts) and only her family and some friends knew about the assault and the court case.

The response was overwhelming - calls, texts and emails from people she knew and many more she didn't. Some expressed their sympathies but plenty more shared stories and experiences of their own.

While Dominique had already written plenty of What's Been Broken is all the More Sharp, it was time to finish the book and share it with the world.

“I wanted to make sure no other women were hurt by this man,” says Dominique. “I was broken from the assault and everything that came after. I thought I would really kill myself and there was no need to tell anyone about it.”

Towards the end of the trial Dominique married Sonny and fell pregnant.

“When I had him on my chest, I had this strong drive to live. I wanted to live for my son. I didn't look back after that. I tried to get back on the train tracks of my life and career and said yes to everything.”

That led to burnout and visits to the psychologist where she started to work through her need to drive herself into the ground to prove herself professionally and overcome the shame she felt around the assault.

“I let go of the burden that I was carrying about the assault and everything I thought I was doing for myself, which I was really doing for people I don't care about. That was in 2023 and I decided to set up a company to help doctor wellbeing.

“This is a human issue, not a gender issue. Thinking back, I really did wish that there was a community like mine out there that I knew about to give me hope that things could get better.

“These are the sort of scars you don't want to open up to the world. For me it has ended up being a surprising journey. The real healing didn't start until I started talking about it.

“Talking to people and finding other people with similar experiences have helped me find my voice again. I lost my voice and couldn't speak for many months, literally. The only time I felt safe to speak was in front of my patients - I love being able to help people.

“When the book came out, it felt cathartic. Knowing people felt the same way I did was really freeing. More than I could ever imagine.”

Now 45 and mum to a nine-year-old, Dominique continues to work in both the public and private health systems in Brisbane. Somewhat by circumstance, she has become a warrior for physician wellbeing and cultural reform in her industry.

As part of HeyBoss! and with leadership coach Shivani Gupta, they run physician retreats along with coaching programs. She also runs advocacy campaigns to combat burnout and improve medical culture.

She remains disappointed at a system which by design protects the powerful people in medicine and says the profession “has a major problem” with how it hears and treats assaults, bullying and abuse of power.

Dr Dominique Lee is fighting for reform in a system she says allows abuse to continue.

“I would love to see a groundswell for change – a collective voice is so much more powerful than one. It's a system that allows abuse to carry on. There's no other profession where someone willingly takes off their clothes and allows people to touch you. It's such a vulnerable space.

“It's considered such a noble job, but people forget that doctors are human. Bad people will do vile things if there's nothing to rein them in.

“The vast majority of doctors do good, but if you've been working really hard towards your career, it feels way too risky to your career to dob someone in. A lot of people get away with so much bad behaviour.

“Precedent is important; whistleblowers who were punished are easy to find. Whistleblowers who were believed, and whose reports led to real change, are not.

“I hope this book encourages people to speak up. Too many stories have been buried for too long. Speaking up is how we protect the next generation of doctors and healthcare workers so that no victim is ever left believing that walking away, or worse, are their only options.”