Li Li, M.D., Ph.D., has been named the Second Holder of Vivian Conatser-Turner Endowed Professorship at UAB. The title was approved at the UAB Board of Trustees meeting on April 4, 2025.
“I am deeply humbled and grateful to be the second holder for this endowed professorship," Li said. "I would like to continue Vivian Conatser-Turner's legacy by having a positive influence and enduring effect on the lives of the many patients who suffer from addiction. Working with people who are overcoming addiction is both challenging and rewarding, and it is a privilege to be in this field. The support from this professorship will provide me and my colleagues more opportunities to conduct addiction-related research and discover novel approaches that will have significant and lasting value to the University and the advancement of medicine and psychiatry.”
Li graduated with her medical degree in 1998 from Wuhan University in Wuhan, China. She went on to earn her Ph.D. from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2005, after which she came to UAB for her postgraduate and residency training. She completed her residency training at UAB in 2013.
That same year, Li was recruited to the UAB faculty as assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology. She was promoted to associate professor in 2019 and was promoted to professor with tenure in 2024.
Li is a member of professional organizations including the American Psychiatric Association (APA), Association for Multidisciplinary Education and Research in Substance use and Addiction, and American Society of Addiction Medicine. She holds numerous awards and honors, including the Research Colloquium for Junior Investigator from the APA, UAB Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology’s Chairman’s Award, Awardee for the Faculty Development Grant Program at UAB, Awardee for Strengthening Casual Inference in Behavioral Obesity Research at UAB, Awardee for Telehealth Spark Funding Awareness with CCTS at UAB, and co-author for the best paper award at the 8th Asia Pacific Behavioral and Addiction Medicine Conference.
Li has received numerous funds, including the NIDA, NIDDK, SAMHSA, and Foundation of Opioid Response Efforts for her studies. She has more than 86 peer-reviewed publications, as well as book chapters in two books: “Mood Disorder” in “Essentials of Modern Neuroscience” and “Substance Use Telemedicine Retention and Outcomes” in “The Future is Accessible.”