Li’s Journey Leads Him to UTHealth Houston PM&R

Sheng Li, MD, PhD is a professor in the UTHealth Houston Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), Vice Chair of Discovery and Advancement, and Director of UTHealth Houston NeuroRecovery Center at TIRR Memorial Hermann.

Dr Li’s primary clinical focus is on spasticity management and neurorehabilitation after neurological impairments, including  stroke and traumatic brain injury. His research centers on sensory and motor recovery after neurological injuries, exploring areas such as pathophysiology and management of spasticity, motor control and motor recovery after stroke, and neuropathic pain.

Dr Li’s interest in medicine began early in his life. He received his medical degree from Beijing Medical University in China. After his residency training in orthopedics in Beijing, China, he came to the United States and completed his PhD in Kinesiology from Pennsylvania State University. Subsequently, he completed a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship at Northwestern University and Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.

When he was an assistant professor at the University of Montana, Dr Li discovered the respiratory-motor coupling phenomenon and invented a breathing-controlled electrical stimulation technique  – a non-pharmacological intervention for management of spasticity and neuropathic pain. The discovery and invention have been awarded with more than $7 million dollars of federal research grants over years.

Seeking to integrate his research with clinical practice, Dr. Li joined the UTHealth Houston PM&R Residency Program on a clinical investigator pathway. The residency program allowed him to complete his clinical training and continue his research, combining all his prior education into one role. After residency, he joined the faculty at UTHealth Houston.

Dr Li, along with Cindy Ivanhoe, MD, is excited to start a brand-new fellowship program, specifically focused on spasticity. This is a combined effort between UTHeath Houston PM&R and TIRR Memorial Hermann to address the growing need for advanced training in spasticity management. He says the unique aspects of the program are the mentors are renowned physicians in the field and there is a high patient volume for research opportunities. There are only three spasticity-focused training programs in the country.

“There have been advances in spasticity management that requires advanced training,” Dr Li says. “We are in an excellent position to provide such training. The goal of our fellowship program is to train future leaders in spasticity management.”

Read more about the Spasticity and Neurorehabilitation Fellowship here.