Cynthia Li, MD, is a medical doctor who went from public health in underserved communities to integrative and functional medicine. After graduating from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, she practiced internal medicine in diverse settings like Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco General Hospital, St Anthony Clinic for refugees and those experiencing homelessness, and Doctors Without Border in rural China. Among her teachers and mentors are functional medicine experts, environmental health scientists, holistic healers, and qigong masters. She has also served as faculty for Rachel Remen’s Healer’s Art program at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. Since 2012, Dr. Li has had a private practice in the Bay Area, California, in integrative medicine – whole person and lifestyle care – and functional medicine – investigating the root causes of chronic disease, like stealth infections, environmental chemicals, food allergens, inadequate sleep or movement, and stress in its myriad forms. 

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Dr. Li knows firsthand the importance of lifestyle and root-cause medicine. After developing a disabling autoimmune illness herself, she embarked on a healing journey that transformed her understanding of health from the inside out. In addition to drastically changing her diet, treating hidden infections, healing her gut, and getting better sleep, she also learned how to move her body in a way that didn’t worsen the fatigue and malaise.

 

One particular area she has studied and practiced extensively since 2014 is qigong (chee-gong), a mind-body practice rooted in ancient China that can help activate flow / coherence in the body, therefore potentially enhancing any conventional, integrative, or functional medicine treatments. 

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All of her lived experience, together with her work with patients, has converged into a unique offering that bridges cutting-edge science with ancient healing wisdom and embodied practices. She has written a bestselling memoir, Brave New Medicine, a free e-booklet, How to Strengthen Your Inner Shield, and has edited a book of contemplative qigong, Mingjue Awakening. In May 2026, she has a forthcoming book, The Medicine of Flow: Harmonizing Your Inner State to Activate Peak Healing. 

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Dr. Li is a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and Integrative Medicine for the Underserved. Her writing has been published in The New York Times, Thrive Global, and Psychology Today.

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In her spare time, she likes to host conversations and workshops on Awakin Calls, a podcast reaching millions through the ServiceSpace community. You can also find her tending a backyard garden, playing piano or ukulele, taking a hike in the woods, cooking, or hanging out with her family—her husband, two daughters, a dog, two cats, and 50,000+ honeybees