Assistant Professor
shiwenli@hawaii.edu | (808) 956-4308 | Biomed D-104H
Epidemiology
Academic Degrees
- PhD (Epidemiology), University of California, Los Angeles
- MPH (Epidemiology), University of California, Los Angeles
- BS (General Biology), University of California, San Diego
Courses Taught
Dr. Li is an environmental epidemiologist by training and has mostly worked on the built environment and chemical pollutants like pesticides and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are known as “forever chemicals.” He is also interested in various health outcomes across the lifespan, including birth outcomes, pediatric sleep health, liver diseases, Parkinson’s disease, and cancer.
His work has received international attention and has been featured in NIEHS Environmental Factor, Lancet Oncology, and AASM Smartbrief, and several news agencies, including The Guardian, The Hill, and LAist. He has led several environmental sampling and blood testing studies on PFAS in Los Angeles, California, to understand the environmental contribution to human PFAS burden.
Dr. Li is currently working on several large-scale projects using geographic information systems (GIS) and multi-omics data to expand research in precision environmental health and exposome.
Selected Publications
Li, S., Costello, E., Manea, T.K.D., Galindo, T., Walker, D.I., Goodrich, J.A., Alderete, T.L., Goran, M.I., Valvi, D., Baumert, B.O., Rock, S., Smith, A.L., Childress, A.E., Eckel, S.P., Conti, D.V., Chen, Z., Gilliland, F.D., McConnell, R., Chatzi, L., Aung, M., 2025. Chrome Plating Facility Siting Is Associated with Neighborhood Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors and Elevated Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in Blood in California. Environ Sci Technol 59, 12520–12532. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c00522
Li, S., Oliva, P., Zhang, L., Goodrich, J.A., McConnell, R., Conti, D.V., Chatzi, L., Aung, M., 2025. Associations between per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and county-level cancer incidence between 2016 and 2021 and incident cancer burden attributable to PFAS in drinking water in the United States. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-024-00742-2
Li, S., Goodrich, J.A., Costello, E., Walker, D., Cardenas-Iniguez, C., Chen, J.C., Alderete, T.L., Valvi, D., Rock, S., Eckel, S.P., McConnell, R., Gilliland, F.D., Wilson, J., MacDonald, B., Conti, D.V., Smith, A.L., McCurry, D.L., Childress, A.E., Simpson, A.M.-A., Golden-Mason, L., Maretti-Mira, A.C., Chen, Z., Goran, M.I., Aung, M., Chatzi, L., 2024. Examining Disparities in PFAS Plasma Concentrations: Impact of Drinking Water Contamination, Food Access, Proximity to Industrial Facilities and Superfund Sites. Environmental Research 120370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2024.120370
Li, S., Ritz, B., Gong, Y., Cockburn, M., Folle, A.D., Del Rosario, I., Yu, Y., Zhang, K., Castro, E., Keener, A.M., Bronstein, J., Paul, K.C., 2024. Untargeted serum metabolic profiling of diabetes mellitus among Parkinson’s disease patients. npj Parkinsons Dis. 10, 100 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-024-00711-4
Li, S., Ritz, B., Gong, Y., Cockburn, M., Folle, A.D., Del Rosario, I., Yu, Y., Zhang, K., Castro, E., Keener, A.M., Bronstein, J., Paul, K.C., 2023. Proximity to residential and workplace pesticides application and the risk of progression of Parkinson’s diseases in Central California. Science of The Total Environment 864, 160851. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160851
