Xia Li, MD, PhD

Xia Li, MD, is a psychiatrist who specializes in treating adults with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia. Her expertise includes psychopharmacology, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for treatment-resistant depression. She enjoys helping patients with a variety of mental health challenges.

Prior to joining UC San Diego Health, she was research faculty at UC San Diego. Her research focuses on mechanism-based medication development for the treatment of drug addiction. She has extensively explored neurochemical mechanisms underlying drug-taking and drug-seeking behaviors, focusing on the role of various neurotransmitter systems and investigating novel compounds as potential medications for substance use disorders.

Dr. Li completed her residency training in psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from Wuhan University School of Medicine in China where she also obtained a master's degree in physiology. Dr. Li is a member of the American Psychiatric Association.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and hiking. She speaks Mandarin fluently.

UC San Diego Health Links
For more information, see Behavioral and Mental Health Care and Treatment-Resistant Depression.