Meet Proud Alumna Junxin Li

Some people embark on their college education without a career path. Junxin Li was not one of them.

She wanted to work in health care since she was a little girl, and pursuing a nursing degree in college was her plan. However, she had not considered continuing on for a PhD in nursing. This was something that took time to develop as her nursing career evolved.

Li worked as a clinical nurse in China after graduation but wanted to advance her professional career to include nursing research. Recognizing that an advanced degree would improve her skills and knowledge, she set out to obtain a graduate degree in nursing. After successfully completing her studies, she joined the faculty of her alma mater in China. Again, she found herself wanting to do more and acknowledged the need for further education, but this time she wanted to branch out of her comfort zone – so she chose to come to the United States for her PhD.

Drawn to the UB School of Nursing because of its excellent reputation, she gained acceptance to the PhD program and is now extremely proud of her accomplishment and of her U.S. alma mater.

Li credits the coursework for preparing her with systematic research knowledge, thus providing an exceptional educational foundation with which to build her program of research. Her position as a research assistant in the Center for Nursing Research instilled the importance of working independently. Both experiences provided excellent preparation, propelling her to gain a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Li’s area of research involves improving wellness and quality of life of older adults, with a specific focus on personalized, non-pharmacological interventions to improve cognition and sleep. Her interest in the geriatric population carried over from China where she did research in nursing homes.

As Li progressed in the program, the decision to study sleep problems in nursing home residents blossomed, culminating in a dissertation project applying individualized physical and social activities during the day to engage long-term care residents with dementia. This resulted in improved daytime activity and nocturnal sleep. Her current research is an expansion of this sleep and cognition project.

“The most rewarding part of my research is that the findings have provided methods and recommendations to improve older adults’ well-being. The intervention may provide older adults an innovative way to improve physical activity, sleep and cognition.”

“Several outstanding mentors provided guidance throughout the process of exploring my research interests, clarifying the problem, narrowing my focus and implementing my plan, all while encouraging me to weather through the inevitable challenges I encountered.”

“I wish I had taken the opportunity to get involved in teaching activities during my PhD studies. In addition to research, teaching experience is an essential consideration for colleges and universities when hiring new faculty members. This is even more important for candidates who are non-native English speakers. Teaching experiences and opportunities better prepare international students for the job market and help with transition to new academic roles as nurse educators.”

“Search for like minds and seek opportunities to collaborate with faculty and peers who have similar research interests. It is a great way to start publishing and establishing research partnerships for the future.”