PI

A. Personal Statement I am a biomedical engineer and licensed acupuncturist with more than fifteen years of experience bridging biomedical research and clinical practice. My research career began in cardiac electrophysiology and optical imaging, progressing to integrative medicine and neuro-modulatory interventions. I have held academic appointments at Harvard Medical School (affiliated faculty, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) and served as Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the Wentworth Institute of Technology, where I taught and mentored students in medical device design and mobile health technologies. As the founder and director of Boston Academy of Chinese Medicine, I have translated my biomedical research background into clinical applications, focusing on musculoskeletal and neuromuscular disorders. My current work integrates quantitative biomarker technologies—such as electrical impedance myography (EIM) and ultrasound shear-wave elastography (SWE)—into evidence-based acupuncture protocols. This NIH-supported feasibility study extends my long-term goal of establishing acupuncture as a measurable, mechanistically understood, and reproducible therapeutic modality for complex neuromuscular conditions such as adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Selected relevant experience: • PI, Hemodynamics Following Acupuncture Manipulations, Global Gateway Foundation • PI, VR Hardware Add-on for Immersion Improvement, Wentworth Institute of Technology • PI, Medical Device and Software Design for Mobile Health, Wentworth Institute of Technology • Research Fellow, BIDMC and MGH, focusing on electrophysiology, optical imaging, and acupuncture physiology B. Positions, Scientific Appointments, and Honors Positions and Appointments • Founder, Boston Academy of Chinese Medicine and CBS Acupuncture, Natick, MA (2019–present) • Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA (2017–2021) • Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Wentworth Institute of Technology (2012–2016) • Affiliated Faculty, Center for Dynamic Biomarkers, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School (2012–2021) • Adjunct Faculty, New England School of Acupuncture (2012) • Research Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (2009–2012) • Research Fellow, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Pathology Department (2006–2009) • Research Assistant, Computational Cardiac Electrophysiology Group, Tulane University (2001–2006) Honors and Awards • Outstanding Research Award, School of Engineering, Tulane University (2005) • Student Travel Grant, IEEE Biomedical Engineering Society (2002) • Undergraduate Scholarship, Tsinghua University (1998–1999) C. Contributions to Science 1. Mechanisms of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Mechanoelectric Feedback My early research investigated the biophysical mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmogenesis through computational modeling and tissue-level experiments. Using 3D cardiac models, I demonstrated how mechanical deformation and heterogeneous gap-junction coupling contribute to arrhythmia initiation and defibrillation failure. Representative Publications: • Li W, Gurev V, McCulloch AD, Trayanova NA. Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 2008;97(2-3):461–478. • Li W, Kohl P, Trayanova N. J Mol Histol. 2004;35(7):679–686. • Trayanova N, Li W, Eason J, Kohl P. Heart Rhythm. 2004;1(1):67–77. 2. Acupuncture Mechanisms and Hemodynamic Effects At Massachusetts General Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, I examined the physiological effects of acupuncture on blood flow, temperature, and fascial structure using imaging and computational methods. Representative Publications: • Li W, Ahn AC. J Acupunct Meridian Stud. 2015;8(5):248–254. • Li W, Ahn AC. PLoS ONE. 2011;6(9):e23987. • Li W, Ahn AC. J Hypertens. 2012;30(8):1493–1499. 3. Biomedical Device Development and Physiological Signal Analysis As faculty in biomedical engineering, I led projects combining wearable sensors, embedded systems, and physiological monitoring for health applications. Representative Publications: • Hernandez J, Ferguson C, Sano A, Chen W, Li W, et al. Proc. IEEE ACII. 2017. • Mei X, Li W. SIAM Conf. Optimization. 2017. 4. Integrative Medicine and Quantitative Biomarkers My current focus is on integrating quantitative neuromuscular biomarkers—EIM and SWE—into acupuncture research to establish objective, reproducible measures of treatment response. D. Ongoing and Completed Research Support Ongoing Projects: • Feasibility Study of Acupuncture for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (NIH R34, pending) – Role: Principal Investigator Completed Research Support: • VR Hardware Add-on for Immersion Improvement – Wentworth Institute of Technology (PI, 2016–2017) • Medical Device and Software Design for Mobile Health – Wentworth Institute of Technology (PI, 2016) • Hemodynamics Following Acupuncture Manipulations – Global Gateway Foundation (PI, 2012–2013) • Rol