Dr. William W. Li is President, Medical Director, and co-founder of the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofit organization that is re-conceptualizing global disease fighting. A protégé of medical pioneer Dr. Judah Folkman, Dr. Li has been engaged in research focused on angiogenesis (new blood vessel growth) and its practical applications for the past 2 decades. A major part of Dr. Li’s work focuses on improving health outcomes for individuals and populations affected by chronic wounds, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, among more than 70 other blood vessel-dependent diseases. Under his leadership, the Angiogenesis Foundation has developed a unique social enterprise model based on creating national and international collaborations with scientists, clinicians, payers, policymakers, and industry. Based on this, the Foundation has played a central role in bringing about modern treatments for nine different cancers, chronic wounds, and skin diseases. Dr. Li’s recent work is examining the role of targeted therapies and biomarkers, and disease prevention for improving patient-centered outcomes.
Dr. Li received his A.B. with honors in Biochemistry from Harvard College, and his M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania. He completed his residency training and clinical fellowship in General Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Dr. Li has held appointments on the clinical faculties of Harvard Medical School, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School. He is a founding board member of the American College for Wound Healing and Tissue Repair, and an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Wound Care Specialists.
Dr. Li has testified before congressional and other governmental audiences on the impact of angiogenesis in health care, and is an internationally sought lecturer to medical, scientific, biopharmaceutical, device, and payer audiences. His research has been published in Science, The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and other leading peer-reviewed medical journals. His nonprofit work has been cited by The New York Times, USA Today, Fortune, CNN, WIRED, and O Magazine. He is a frequent guest on The Dr. Oz Show, has given a TED talk at the TED Conference, and is an active member of the Clinton Global Initiative.