Wenjun Li

Wenjun Li is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Public Health at the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell. He directs the Health Statistics and Geography Lab and holds roles in the Center for Health Statistics and Biostatistics Core. His expertise spans biostatistics, epidemiology, and spatial analysis applied to aging populations, injury prevention, mental health, and opioid-related public health crises. He leads NIH-funded studies and manages large-scale health data cores.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Biostatistics, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Research Interests: Focuses on statistical tools for medical/public health problems including aging, injury prevention in older adults, community-level health disparities, and GIS applications. Specializes in small-area estimation for public health policy, opioid overdose surveillance, and electronic health record analytics.

Grants & Lab: Leads NIH R01 grants (e.g., 'Neighborhood Risk Factors for Falls in Elderly,' 'STAR-COD Intervention'), and CDC-funded projects. His lab employs 10 FTE staff and hosts doctoral students in Epidemiology. Recent work addresses opioid-related mortality forecasting and falls prevention programs.

Key Contributions: Published extensively in American Journal of Public Health, BMC Geriatrics, and Tobacco Control. Developed methodologies for spatial-temporal opioid epidemic analysis and EHR-based chronic disease surveillance systems.