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
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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 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)
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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 (215 Ratings, 72 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 Press Ganey patient surveys.

  1. Caring and compassionate. Had a clear understanding of the problem.

  2. Dr. Li is awesome. Glad you are able to keep such a skilled clinician.

  3. Experience was very good with both the student and the Dr Li. Clearly communicated and took time for questions.

  4. Topic well understood and explained.

  5. Clinician and first- year resident were both polite and accepting of feedback/questions.

  6. Excellent

  7. My experience was positive.

  8. Dr. Li made me feel at ease. He explained things very thoroughly. He is a great listener. He took the time to answer all my questions. I would highly recommend him. I was very pleased.

  9. Competent and caring

  10. Dr. Li was very thorough and easy to understand when he explained treatment of my health issue. He gave answers to my questions before I could ask them. He put me at ease quickly, as the staff who worked with him had done.

  11. Dr. Li is experienced, dedicated, and compassionate.

  12. He is so lovely. Very kind & thorough. I felt heard.

  13. Very open minded and helpful .

  14. Good

  15. Took time to explain pros and cons and answered questions to my satisfaction. Giving me time to decide if I am comfortable having the surgery and taking the 1% risk that outcome might not be ideal. Getting MRI for better imaging of the area before surgery would be attempted. And will follow-up with me when results available.

  16. They made sure to notify my bf when he could pick up my prescriptions and when I was able to go home. They made sure I had all my paperwork and went over after care instructions with him so that things went smoothly at home.

  17. Dr. Li is great. He listens to what I have to say, and notices and verifies if something is concerning.

  18. Dr Li was excellent throughout.

  19. I have been working with this doctor for awhile to solve my problem

  20. Dr Li is amazing. I was so scared and both he and his assistant were reassuring and kind. I felt like Dr Li made sure I was properly numbed up and didn't make me feel like a "weeny" for being scared of the potential pain. OHSU is lucky to have him

  21. Caring people

  22. Dr. Li is a excellent doctor his knowledge and honesty are unmatched. I trust him to help me regain my health

  23. Dr Ryan Li is not only a fantastic doctor, he is kind, compassionate, caring, and goes above and beyond to explain what the situation is and how to address the problem. I am grateful for his care and glad that he is my ENT.

  24. He was willing to hear my concerns and add his input of possible treatments.

  25. Fast and. Friendly

  26. Always things went well during our appointment

  27. Dr. Ryan Li has been always personal and professional. He listens closely to my situation and expresses his expertise and experience while conveying empathy and compassion. I appreciate that he takes the time to read and evaluate any information/photos I have sent him through My Chart.

  28. Very personable, provided medical knowledge needed in a clear way. He adjusted his speech/dialogue to match my medical experience and education and adapt to my husbands different level as well. He helped clarify the decisions that needed to be made. By the time I left we had a clear plan which I clearly understood.

  29. I feel very fortunate to have Dr Li oversee my medical issue. He answered any questions and concerns I had. I'm glad to have him for my doctor.

  30. Dr Li is an excellent Dr. I have a complex difficult diagnosis and he took the time needed to resolve multiple outstanding issues and concerns.