Dr Yijia Li is the Director of Public Translational Platform for Cell Therapy at Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University. An alumnus of The University of Melbourne, Dr Yijia Li is Director of the Public Translational Platform for Cell Therapy at Yangtze Delta Region Institute of Tsinghua University.

With 50 employees and more than 100 collaborators, Dr Li’s team is developing stem cell therapy for Knee Osteoarthritis, Stroke, Chronic Kidney Disease and Crohn’s disease.

Their aim is to have their first drug approved in 5 years, enabling many patients to be cured of these debilitating diseases. Aside from his pioneering medical science work, Dr Li dedicates himself to building bridges between Australia and China, especially in the field of tertiary education.

In 2011 during his PhD study, he established a non-profit organisation called Melbourne Pioneer, or ‘MP’. Now 8 years old, MP aims to help Chinese students smoothly and quickly adapt to Australian society, providing a platform for students to volunteer in their local communities. It boasts more than 200 alumni and 30,000 followers. Hear his story.