Lydia W. Li
Associate Professor of Social Work
Lydia Li is Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Social Work where she is a gerontologist with an interest in issues related to aging and health, and cross-cultural gerontology. Her research aims to understand how multiple levels of factors and their interaction contribute to older people’s physical, psychological and cognitive health. One unifying theme of her research is to investigate and address health disparities impacting vulnerable segments of the elderly population, including older adults with low incomes, older adults in rural China, and older Chinese immigrants in the United States. She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and served as the co-chair of the 2016 GSA program committee. She was a Hartford Geriatric Social Work Faculty Scholar. Currently she is serving as an associate editor of the International Journal of Social Welfare, an editorial board member of the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, and an expert reviewer for the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme in Hong Kong. She has been an associate editor of BMC Geriatrics. She is affiliated with the Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, Population Studies Center, and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies at the University of Michigan.
Research Interests/Focus
Mental health and cognitive function in later life; community-based interventions for depression and cognitive impairment prevention in older Chinese populations; ageism, racism and health.Contact Information
| Phone | Fax | Room | Address | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (734) 936-4850 | (734) 763-3372 | lydiali@umich.edu | 3839 SSWB | University of Michigan School of Social Work 1080 S. University Ann Arbor, MI 48109 |
Education
| Year | Degree | School | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | PhD | Social Welfare | University of Wisconsin, Madison |
| 1989 | MSW | Social Work | University of Hong Kong, China |
| 1984 | Honor's Diploma | Social Work | Hong Kong Baptist College, China |
Xue, J., Chen, X., Bogner, H., Tang, W., Li, L. W., & Conwell, Y. (in press). The prevalence of depressive symptoms among older patients with hypertension in rural China. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Zhang, Z., Liu, J., Li, L. W., & Xu, H. (in press). The long arm of childhood in China: Early life conditions and cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults. Journal of Aging and Health.
Li, L. W., Harris, R., Tsodikov, A., Struble, L., & Murphy, S. (in press). Self-acupressure for older adults with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: A randomized controlled trial. Arthritis Care and Research.
Zhang, Z., Liu, J., Li, L. W., & Xu, H. (in press). The long arm of childhood in China: Early life conditions and cognitive function among middle-aged and older adults. Journal of Aging and Health.
Li, L. W., Ding, D., Wu, B., & Dong, X. (2017). Change of cognitive function in U.S. Chinese older adults: A population-based study. Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 72(suppl_1), S5-10.
Li, L. W. & Dong, X. (2017). Self-reported discrimination and depressive symptoms among older Chinese adults in Chicago. Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 72(suppl_1), S119-124.
Xu, L., Tang, F., Li, L. W., & Dong, X. (2017). Grandparent caregiving and psychological well-being among Chinese American older adults –The roles of caregiving burden and pressure. Journals of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 72(suppl_1), S56-62.
Davitt, J., Li, L. W., & Rastigue, K. (2016). Policies to protect the rights of older adults and support family caregivers. Handbook for Social Work in Health and Aging (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Li, L. W., Harris, R., Murphy, S., Tsodikov, A., & Struble, L. (2016). Feasibility of a randomized controlled trial of self-administered acupressure for symptom management in older adults with knee osteoarthritis. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 22(5), 396-403.
Li, L. W., Xu, H., Zhang, Z., & Liu, L. (2016). An ecological study of social fragmentation, socioeconomic deprivation, and suicide in rural China: 2008-2010. SSM- Population Health, 2, 365-372.
Liu, J., Li, L. W., Zhang, Z & Xu, H. (2016). Associations between physical health and depressive symptoms in Chinese older adults: Do neighborhood resources matter? SSM- Population Health, 2, 531-535.
Pan, X., Liu, J., Li, L. W., & Kwok, J. (2016). Posttraumatic growth in aging individuals who have lost their only child in China. Death Studies, 40(7), 395-404.
Xu, H., Li, L. W., Zhang, Z., & Liu, J. (2016). Is natural experiment a cure? Re-examining the long-term health effects of China’s 1959-1961 famine. Social Science and Medicine, 148, 110-122.
Li, L., & Sui, Y. (2009). Family: Roles of the elderly. In D. Pong (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Modern China. Detroit, MI: Charles Scribner’s Sons, Gale/Cengage Learning.