Joshua (Yifan) Li

I am a 2nd year DPhil student in the Toepfer/Watkins Group in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, generously supported by the Keith Murray Graduate Scholarship and the Oppenheimer Memorial Trust (OMT) Scholarship. 

I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa and completed my Intercalated MBChB/BMedSci(Hons) degree at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in 2018, graduating with First Class Honours. My Honours project was supervised by Professors Ursula Rohlwink and Tony Figaji of UCT, where I investigated the role of matrix metalloproteinases in paediatric tuberculous meningitis. After graduation, I finished my 2-year medical internship at Worcester Hospital and my year of public service in General Surgery at Mahikeng Provincial Hospital, South Africa. I subsequently worked as an Emergency Medicine Registrar in Dublin for 9 months prior to commencing my DPhil in Lincoln College, Oxford. I hold full registrations in the GMC, IMC and HPCSA. 

Now, under the supervision of Professors Christopher Toepfer and Hugh Watkins, I am using tissue engineering to investigate the role of novel gene variants in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). My project is a laboratory based functional study guided by the findings from the latest GWAS studies on HCM. I have engineered the novel gene variants using CRISPR/Cas-9 into iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and I aim to further characterise the model both in 2D and 3D, using engineered heart tissues (EHTs). 

Outside the lab, I enjoy salsa dancing, traveling, playing my violin, and reading books while sipping coffee at scenic coffee shops. I am a locum Registrar Doctor at the John Radcliffe Hospital Emergency Department, and I tutor the 5th Year medical students at Lincoln College.