Accepting new patients

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

Accepting new patients

  • Chief, Division of Head and Neck Surgery Program; Professor, Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery; Director, OHSU Robotic Head and Neck Surgery; Program Director of OHSU Head and Neck Surgery Fellowship

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
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Modern building on a clear day with the tram in the background.
Center for Health & Healing, Building 2
503-494-8311
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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 Robotic Surgery Program
  • Head and Neck Surgical Oncology Fellowship

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)
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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 (223 Ratings, 79 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. 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.

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

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

  4. It was a decent fair response.

  5. 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.

  6. Excellent

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

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

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

  10. 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

  11. The best OHSU has to offer!

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

  13. 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.

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

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

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

  17. Keep everyone. They all were amazing. Loved Dr. Li.

  18. Very knowledgeable dr

  19. Dr Li was so informative and engaging. I valued and appreciated my time with him and his staff.

  20. Dr Li is awesome!

  21. He was cordial and answered my questions. There Is no visit summary and nothing In My Chart 5 days later. It looks like nothing has been arranged as far as surgery. I wish physicians were given enough time between patients to be able to write their notes If those notes trigger other steps In a treatment plan. It would also be nice to see a physician wash their hands occasionally.

  22. Hes amazing. He spoke to me, not above me. Made me feel very comfortable and put me at ease. Clearly explained what was wrong and what his plans to rectify it was. And he looked very dapper in his suit.

  23. Very professional And seems to be very good at his job

  24. Everything went well

  25. Exceptional, addressed everything that I wanted to know or was concerned with.

  26. Dr Ryan Li is incredibly thorough, professional, kind, and caring. He is very knowledgeable in his field and took excellent care of me at this visit and every visit I had with him. I am grateful to have him as a clinician/surgeon

  27. Extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable!

  28. Dr Li is excellent!

  29. Provider no showed appt.

  30. Awesome