Accepting new patients

Ryan J. Li, M.D., M.B.A.

Accepting new patients

  • Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, Professor and Chief, Division of Head and Neck Surgery

Specialty

  • Cancer
  • Otolaryngology (ENT)

Clinical focus

  • Head and Neck Cancer
  • Head and Neck Surgery
  • Microvascular Reconstruction
  • Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery
  • TransOral Robotic Surgery (TORS)

Locations and contact

I see patients at
Physicians Pavilion brick building with greenery surrounding it.
Physicians Pavilion
Read clinic details
Modern building on a clear day with the tram in the background.
Center for Health & Healing, Building 2
503-494-8311
Read clinic details

About me

Dr. Ryan Li  is a surgeon who specializes in:

  • Treating head and neck cancers and thyroid and parathyroid diseases.
  • Transoral robot-assisted surgery to treat some cases of throat (oropharyngeal) cancer.
  • Repairing head and neck wounds and deformities with microvascular reconstruction techniques, which use tissues from elsewhere on the body to restore skin, muscle or bone in the head and neck. 

Dr. Li is devoted to working with patients and their loved ones through their treatments. As part of the multidisciplinary head and neck cancer team, he supports patients with gentle, clear, and complete care. Dr. Li and the team are dedicated to supporting patients after treatment to ensure the best quality of life they can achieve.   

His research interests include:

  • Household finances related to head and neck cancer treatment.
  • Digital devices to aid recovery from cancer treatment.
  • Clinical trials on shrinking tumors (neoadjuvant immunoradiotherapy) for treatment of oropharyngeal cancer.   

Dr. Li is the Director of OHSU’s Head and Neck Surgical Oncology Fellowship program, and Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs for the Department of Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Li is also the Division Chief for Head and Neck Surgery/Cancer.

In his spare time, Dr. Li enjoys time with his daughter and his wife, Myriam Loyo Li, a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon who also is a member of the OHSU family. He relishes the company of his extended family in Mexico, Canada, Hong Kong and the eastern United States. He enjoys tennis, running, indoor wall climbing, hiking, and what beautiful Oregon has to offer.

Languages spoken

  • English

Education and training

  • Degrees

    • B.A., 2004, Brown University
    • M.D., 2008, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine
    • M.B.A., 2022, Oregon Health and Science University

  • Residency

    • Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, Johns Hopkins Hospital, 2014

  • Fellowship

    • Head and neck surgery, microvascular reconstruction, Stanford University, 2015

  • Certifications

    • American Board of Otolaryngology, head and neck surgery (2015)

Memberships and associations:

  • American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
  • American Head and Neck Society (AHNS)
Read faculty profile

Insurance

Before scheduling an appointment

  1. Check your network. If you have health insurance,  call your company to find out if the OHSU Health location or provider you plan to visit is part of your network.
  2. Ask what you will pay. Your insurance company can tell you what your costs are likely to be.

If you schedule an appointment and your health insurance does not include OHSU Health, you may have to pay more than if you go to a provider in your insurance network. 

Visit our billing and insurance page for more information.

Ratings and reviews

Overall: 4.9 out of 5 (236 Ratings, 80 Reviews)

The patient ratings score is an average of all responses to the question "How likely would you be to recommend this provider to your family and friends (on a scale of 0 to 10)" on our nationally-recognized NRC patient surveys.

  1. No complaints. Very kind yet professional

  2. Personable and warm, patient. Answered all of my questions. I am a complex case. He was well prepared.

  3. Superb and we could not have expected more!

  4. We always receive excellent medical service from Dr. Lu and all of his staff

  5. This was the fourth of four sessions to help me find my voice and breath connection, which had been affected by Long Covid. The exercises and practice helped a great deal.

  6. Dr Li was very informative and answered all my questions

  7. Dr. Li took his time, answered all our questions, and provided options that were in the patient's best interests and wishes. It was obvious that he is not only a very knowledgeable physician but that he is kind and cares about his patients.

  8. Dr. Li is the best- I come with questions and leave satisfied with his answers and concerning support

  9. Friendly, knowledgeable.

  10. Staff was outstanding. I think Dr. Li is the best.

  11. I believe this dr. Is one of the best in the world.

  12. Dr. Lee and his staff are totally awesome

  13. The moment Dr. Li came into the room, I felt at peace, and he was very patient with me and made me feel heard about my concerns. During the procedure he performed, he was very gentle and explained everything that he was doing. I feel that I am in the best care and trust Dr. Li completely going into my surgery.

  14. I am blessed to have Dr. Ryan Li as my surgeon.

  15. Doctor Ryan Li is a bright positive thinking physician. He listens and gives solid professional advice. Professional.

  16. It was a decent fair response.

  17. Dr Li was awesome, as usual, and took my concerns seriously. Most importantly he immediately connected me with a speech therapist who spent time with me to explain how to deal with my symptoms.

  18. Excellent

  19. Collect the info he needed very efficiently. Knew his job. Was pleasant throughout our engagement.

  20. He's the greatest.To bad all your Doctors aren't of his caliber.

  21. Dr. Li is amazing and professional. He exploring well. Thorough.

  22. Dr. Li is always my recommendation for ENT anything

  23. The staff was very friendly and helpful the doctors explained the situation in great depth and answered all of our questions we were very impressed

  24. The best OHSU has to offer!

  25. Although reason for being here extremely stressful, treated well, explained procedure and what to expect

  26. Dr. Li is both professional and kind. Since my tongue cancer surgery over a year ago, he has addressed all my concerns seriously and with thoughtful reassurance.

  27. I was very thankful I was referred to my doctor. I feel he had the best information available and was a very good listener.

  28. Very knowledgeable. Explained everything and told me how we will proceed next.

  29. Very qualified and truly cares about patient outcomes. A great leader of the organization.

  30. Very knowledgeable dr