BIO
Born in Hunan, China in 1969, Dr. Kaiyi Li was raised in a household with her parents, older brother, and younger sister. A lot of her childhood memories are associated with cooking, food, and subtle gestures of familial love. She graduated from Wuhan University with a degree in biology and later received her master’s degree from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. In 1993, she made the decision to pursue her PhD in the United States. After receiving a full scholarship, she spent 6 years studying in the MD Anderson Cancer Center and would later go on to join the faculty at Baylor College of Medicine. Today, Dr. Li works as a program manager in the Radiation Oncology Department at MDACC. She is currently the mother of two children, Richard and Jessica. This interview was conducted as part of an independent project about ways in which Chinese American immigrant parents express love toward their children. Thus, it is not a standard full-length oral history interview, but rather, focuses on Li’s relationship and memories with her parents. Li discusses her childhood in China, upbringing, and educational journey to America. The interview also covers her experience with racial discrimination and motherhood.