Yinuo Li, Ph.D. ’05

When Yinuo Li, Ph.D. ’05 speaks of cross-cultural competencies, she’s not only discussing the needs of development work but also telling her own story, having moved between two major cultures since arriving at UCLA. Born in China, Li knew very little about the United States and nothing about the school itself except the ranking of the Ph.D. program she was attending. The program gave her exposure to several different departments, and she eventually chose to study molecular biology with the intent of becoming an academic. After a program with the Career Center gave her an up-close look at being a professor, she changed courses and was recruited by the consulting firm McKinsey on campus. That was her entrance to the life-changing work that she does today for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in China, developing the country’s healthcare system.

During her time at McKinsey, Li consulted for a number of clients working in China, prompting her to eventually relocate there. A biologist by training, Li is the first to say that disease has no borders, but she also reminds people that the changes that have transpired within China’s borders affect healthcare delivery. When she spoke at the Tsinghua University School of Life Sciences commencement, she told the mostly Chinese audience: “TV dramas set in the glamorized historical China are often big hits. But it’s worth noting that in those times—like at the end of the Qing Dynasty, for example—the reality was that millions of children don’t live beyond their fifth birthday.”

Li sees a parallel to China’s history since the 1980s in her own life. Born into a modest, rural background, she became a global leader in the same time that 700 million Chinese were lifted from poverty. She attributes this shift to China’s agricultural policy, which reduced food scarcity and, in the process, improved productivity and opened the door for people to work in new sectors. Now, as China expands its development in Africa, Li champions similar approaches there, where China can make a difference in the lives of so many living in extreme poverty. Having witnessed the power of something as simple as irrigation to feed so many hungry souls, Li sees a path to a better tomorrow.

In addition to her work with the Gates Foundation, Li co-founded ETU School, an effort to break down barriers in the education ecosystem. The school treats teachers as researchers and innovators and offers them holistic assessments and full access to high-quality educational resources. It also has online lifelong learning community platforms to involve people of all ages as an asset for students. They are currently in the process of building an IT platform to enable personalized education in schools.

If a molecular biologist founding a school for primary education seems like a big leap, that’s a reflection of Li’s own journey, which has its share of big leaps. Ultimately, no matter the distance, that journey led Li back home, where she can make a true difference in the lives of others. While she might never put on a lab coat again, Li has not forgotten the most powerful lesson she learned at UCLA: that science is storytelling. Using data and policy, Yinuo Li is telling the story of a world without disease, with ample food and healthcare, and high quality education for all.