In these capacities, she has been directing two vigorous research laboratories and investigating the mechanisms responsible for myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and developing the cardioprotective strategies in the fields of gene therapy and cell therapy for 20 years. Dr. Li is a recipient of two NIH grants and several regional grants. She has been a member of the Council on Basic Cardiovascular Sciences of the American Heart Association (AHA), of the International Society for Heart Research, and of the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy for many years. She is an international mentor in cardiovascular field elected by the American Heart Association.

Combining the powers of molecular biology and gene transfer with the regenerative capacity of stem cells, Dr. Li and her associates are exploring the potentiation and mechanisms of adult cardiac progenitor cells to repair damaged myocardium. As a pioneer in this area, Dr. Li has created and established an adult cardiac progenitor cell system in the mouse. So far, this system has more than 30 adult cardiac progenitor cell populations and been funded by the NIH.