Robert L. Li, MD, PhD

Dr. Li grew up in Long Island, NY. After moving to California, he attended the California Institute of Technology where he graduated with honors as a double major in biology and computer science. He then moved to Dallas to start the NIH Medical Scientist Training Program at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. In addition to studying medicine, Dr. Li performed research on the hormone causes of obesity in the lab of Drs. Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein, joint recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1985. After graduating with both MD and PhD degrees, Dr. Li moved to Chicago where he completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. In 2016, Dr. Li moved back to LA to start Endocrinology fellowship at UCLA.

During his fellowship, Dr. Li received training in all areas of clinical endocrinology and continued to perform basic science research as a postdoctoral scholar in the lab of Dr. Stephen Young. He joined the UCLA faculty in 2018 after finishing his fellowship.

Dr. Li has published in top journals including Cell Metabolism, Science Translational Medicine, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. In his clinical practice at the UCLA South Bay Endocrine, Thyroid and Diabetes Center, Dr. Li aims to integrate his scientific research experience and his medical knowledge along with his compassion for patients to provide cutting edge care.

Dr. Li's practice includes diabetes, thyroid disease, metabolic disease, obesity, adrenal disease, disorders of sex hormones including testosterone and estrogen, pituitary disease, and bone disease. Dr. Li also performs thyroid ultrasounds and ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirations of thyroid nodules on a regular basis.

In his free time, Dr. Li enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons. In addition to English, he is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.