As a trained behavioral scientist in public health, my research focuses on designing innovative, technology-enabled, community-engaged interventions to address health inequalities faced by socially disadvantaged groups, particularly by sexual and gender minority (SGM) people living in resource-limited contexts. I have been actively engaged in digital health projects in diverse cultural settings (China, US, South Africa, Vietnam), using qualitative and quantitative approaches to assess health needs in marginalized communities, and developing and testing mobile phone-based interventions to improve HIV/sexually transmitted infections (STI) care continuum (including prevention, testing, diagnosis, treatment, and retention). Specifically, my Ph.D. dissertation developed and tested a mobile app to promote the uptake of a biomedical HIV prevention strategy – pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) – among Chinese gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). Results indicate that our app was highly acceptable and feasible among the target population; expanding access to healthcare via identifying alternative provision models outside of traditional clinical settings is also highly desired. This further motivates me to focus my research at Tokyo College on identifying the opportunities of integrating digital health into traditional health settings to facilitate the adoption of health innovations among international SGM communities living in Japan who are often underserved in the healthcare system.
2022 – Postdoctoral Fellow, Tokyo College
2022 Social/Clinical Research Scientist, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2017-2022: Ph.D. in Health Behavior, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2015-2017: M.Sc. in Health Policy and Management, Peking University
2010-2015: Bachelor of Medicine in Preventive Medicine, Peking University
1. Li C, Xiong Y, Muessig K, et al. A Community-engaged MHealth Intervention to Increase Uptake of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in China: Study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2022. 12: e055899. PMID: 35537794
2. Zhang J*, Li C* (co-first author), Xu J*, et al. Discontinuation, Inadequate Adherence, and Re-Initiation of Oral HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis: A Global Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Lancet HIV. 2022. 9(4): e254-e268. PMID: 35364026
3. Li C, Giovenco D, Dong W, et al. Understanding How Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in China Cope with HIV Care-related Stressors. AIDS Education and Prevention. 2021. 33(1). PMID: 33617323
4. Day S, Li C, Hlatshwako TG, et al. Assessment of a Crowdsourcing Open Call for Approaches to University Community Engagement and Strategic Planning During COVID-19. JAMA Network Open. 2021 May 14;4(5): e2110090. PMID: 33988706
5. Li C, Xiong Y, Sit HF, et al. A Men Who Have Sex with Men-Friendly Doctor Finder Hackathon in Guangzhou, China: Development of a Mobile Health Intervention to Enhance Health Care Utilization. JMIR mHelath and uHealth. 2020. 8(2), e16030. PMID: 32130189
6. Li C, Barrington C, Jiang H, et al. Challenges for Accessing and Maintaining Quality of HIV Care among Men Who Have Sex with Men Living with HIV in China: A Qualitative Study with key Stakeholders. AIDS Care. 2020. PMID: 32151139
7. Li C, Young B, Jian W. The Association of Socioeconomic Status with Financial Burden of Disease among Elderly Cardiovascular Patients: Evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Survey. BMJ Open. 2018; 8: e018703. PMID: 29567841
8. Tang K, Qu X, Li C, & S Tan. Childhood Sexual Abuse, Risky Sexual Behaviors and Adverse Reproductive Health Outcomes among Chinese College Students. Child Abuse and Neglect, 2018(84):123–130. PMID: 30086418
9. Li C, Chen Z, Tang K, et al. The Relationship of School-Based Sexuality Education, Sexual Knowledge and Sexual Behaviors—a Study of 18,000 Chinese College Students. Reproductive Health. 2017.14(1): 103. PMID: 28841895
10. Zheng D, Li C, Wu T, Tang K. Socioeconomic Status and the Risk of Spontaneous Abortion: A Cross-sectional Study of Chinese Populations. Reproductive Health. 2017. 14:33. PMID: 28259178
