“I am extremely honored to be selected for this award. My work focuses on patient-oriented research and there is nothing more gratifying than seeing our students collaborate and co-produce research with patients. This award is shared with all the patient partners who have so generously given their time, expertise and lived experiences for educating a generation of researchers in patient-oriented rheumatology research,” says Dr. Li.
“As a pioneer in engaging patients as research partners, Arthritis Research Canada provides an unparalleled environment for me to grow as a researcher and an educator. I am also grateful for the important support of the University of British Columbia,” she adds.
Dr. Li’s research in knowledge translation and implementation science centers on strategies to improve the care of people with arthritis and to support patient self-care. Her work focuses on the integration of online, mobile and wearable tools to improve clinical practice. An example includes physical activity counseling by physical therapists with the use of wearables and apps. The latter includes OPERAS (On-demand Program to EmpoweR Active Self-management), an award-winning self-monitoring app co-designed with and for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Dr. Li’s work in integrated knowledge translation has led to a new line of studies on the benefits of engaging patients in the research process. Since 2014, she has mentored trainees to study the experiences of patients as research partners and examined the benefits and risks of being research partners from a patient perspective. The results highlight important elements of a mutually beneficial partnership between patients and researchers, and subsequently inform two new products: 1) a conceptual framework of meaningful patient engagement in research, and 2) an outcome measure for evaluating the quality of patient engagement. Many of Dr. Li’s mentees have built successful careers in knowledge translation and implementation research (in academia) and practice (in health authorities and research centers).
Dr. Li’s work has been recognized with several awards, including the Michael Smith Health Research BC (British Columbia) Career Investigator Award and a Canada Research Chair in Patient-Oriented Knowledge Translation. She was selected for the ARP Distinguished Scholar Award in 2015. In 2019, she was inducted as Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Outstanding Student in Rheumatology Award
The ARP Outstanding Student in Rheumatology Award seeks to recognize students advancing rheumatology in one or more of the following areas: education, practice, research and/or advocacy, and is open to non-physician health professional students who have not yet achieved the highest academic degree in a given field of study. Two people received the award this year: Thomas Bye, PT, DPT, MS, a licensed physical therapist and PhD student at the University of Delaware, Newark, and Hannah Peterson, PharmD, a pharmacy practice resident at Methodist University Hospital, Memphis, Tenn.
