William and Sylvia Robin Chair of Orthopaedic Research
Vice Chair for Research, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Associate Director, Arthritis Center
University of Arizona

Brief Bio:
I have over 30 years of experience in musculoskeletal research and education. I earned my BS at Southwest Jiaotong University, MS at Sichuan University, and PhD at Penn State University. Over my career, I have worked at the Shanghai Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Walsh University, University of Pittsburgh, Cleveland Clinic, and now working at the University of Arizona.

Who have been your mentors?
I have been fortunate to be surrounded by many wonderful people who have helped shape who I am today. One of the most influential persons is Professor Savio L-Y. Woo, who is not only a brilliant scientist but also enjoys mentoring countless others and watching them realize their potentials. As a side note yet of particular relevance, Professor Woo is an exceptional advocate of ligament/tendon research, having hosted the International Symposium on Ligaments and Tendons for 18 years since 2000 and laying the foundation for the much-needed Tendon Section.

What are your specific research areas and expertise?
My area of research is musculoskeletal biomechanics. I have work experiences on ligament and tendon mechanics, gait, knee/shoulder biomechanics, and hand biomechanics and neuromuscular control.

What are you currently working on?
We have been studying the transverse carpal ligament and related tunnel structures. We identified a mechanism of carpal arch space augmentation for symptom relief of carpal tunnel syndrome and are currently implementing clinical trials. Another focus of our work is hand osteoarthritis, building on the University of Arizona’s strong tradition of arthritis research dating back to the 1970s.

What has been the biggest challenge for you in your research?
As an engineer working on translational projects, the biggest challenge is keeping up with and navigating the regulatory complexity.

What project(s) are you looking forward to in the near future?
I am excited about translating our lab findings into patient care. After the current pilot clinical trials, we are positioned to conduct a full trial to further validate our novel treatment approaches.

What do you want to do next in your career?
I am fascinated about how our hands work. For basic science, I am interested in neuromechanics aspect of the hand. For orthopedic applications, we plan to continue our research work on hand arthritis in addition to existing research on carpal tunnel syndrome.

What advice would you give young investigators in the field?
For a profession, try to know everything of something and learn something of everything.

When you’re not in the lab, what do you like to do for fun?
I like to do computer programming for fun. Outside of that, I play quite a bit Qwirkle with my wife and two daughters. I also love to watch our bird Kiwi do tricks – it is amazing.

What resources would you like to see available from the ORS Tendon Section?
It would be helpful to have a list of unsolved tendon/ligament problems to inspire the members to work on those challenges.

How can we follow you?
Lab Website | Twitter (X): @lihandlab