Dr. Rena Li is a professor of psychiatry and neurobiology and director of the Schizophrenia Research Institute at Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University located in Beijing, China since 2015. She is also served as a senior scientist and director of the Center for Hormone Advanced Science and Education at Roskamp Institute, a professor of psychiatry in University of Southern Florida as well as in University of Louisville Medical School in USA. Prior that, she served as senior scientist and direct of Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology at Sun Health Research Institute located at Sun City, Arizona for 14 years. Dr. Rena Li was trained as a medical doctor in school of medicine and studied sport medicine for her master degree in China. In 1997, Rena gained her Ph.D. in Neurobiology from University of Louisville, School of Medicine.  She has a long record of receiving scientific honors and awards from NIH, Alzheimer’s Association, American Health Assistant Foundation (AHAF), NARSAD and Alliant Community Trust Fund. She had published about 100 peer reviewed papers at highly ranked journals including Nature Medicine, Trends in Molecular Medicine, Trends in Pharmacological Science, PNAS, Neurology, Biological Psychiatry, Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, Journal of Neuroscience, Journal of Cell Biology and more.   She also serves as a regular member in ASG study section for NIH as well as Ad hoc reviewer for various funding organizations.

Dr. Rena Li’s research interests include:
•    Sex differences in neuropharmacology and molecular characterization of therapeutic targets for psychiatric disorders
•    Sex-specific molecular and pharmacological evaluations of drugs for brain disorder treatment in vitro and in vivo.  
•    Molecular mechanisms of neuroendocrinological changes in normal aging
•    Roles of hormones and hormone receptors in neuronal degeneration & neurogenesis

Dr. Rena Li’s major contribution in Neuroendocrinology:
•    Demonstrated first direct evidence of brain estrogen deficiency in women with Alzheimer’s disease (PNAS 2005)
•    Developed the first genetic animal model of Alzheimer’s disease with lacking of endogenous estrogen and reported specific impact of brain estrogen in neurodegenerative disease (PNAS 2005, J Neuroscience 2010).
•    Brain estrogen levels determine the response to estrogen replacement therapy (Mol Neurobiol 2013)
•    Early fertility activity would have a long effect on cognitive function later in life (JAD 2013)
•    Sex matters in brain and cognitive function and aging (FIN 2014, MCE 2014, Mol Neurobiol 2016)

Dr. Li serves editorial board member and reviewer:
•    Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Associate editor
•    American Journal of Neurodegenerative Disease, Senior editor
•    Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, Associate editor
•    Journal of Sports and Healthy Science, Editor
Reviewer for grant proposals in biomedical applications:
•    • Ad hoc reviewer, Alzheimer’s Association, 1999 -
•    • Ad hoc reviewer, American Federation of Aging Research, 2002 -
•    • Ad hoc reviewer, The Ontario Metal Health Foundation, 2004 -
•    • Ad hoc reviewer, NARSAD, 2003 –
•    • Ad hoc reviewer, American Health Assistance Foundation, 2005 –
•    • Ad hoc reviewer, NIH, 2010, 2012. 2013, 2014
•    Regular member, ASG section NIH 2015-2019