Education

Ph.D., The Ohio State University

Areas of Specialization

• Family Demography
• Population Health
• Social Inequality
• Quantitative Methods

Current Research

My work is situated in the intersection of family, health, and inequality, and my research is motivated by one key question “How do family relationships and attitudes contribute to health inequality?” To answer this question, I have two separate but related lines of work. My first line is more focused on family relationships, and my second line looks at attitudes toward family policy. In my first line of work, I ask “How do family systems reinforce health inequality over time and/or across generations?” In my second line of work, I ask “What are the determinants and health outcomes of family-friendly policy?”

Student Opportunities

I am excited to work with students who are interested in using quantitative methods to answer questions about health and family. If you want to discuss possible ways to work together, please feel free to email me.

Current Teaching

I am teaching SOCI 252: Health, Medicine, and Society and SOCI 862: Basic Regression Analysis

Selected Publications

Li, Qi, Chris Knoester, Richard J. Petts, and Daniel L. Carson. Forthcoming. “COVID-19 Exposures, Related Stressors, and the Health and Well-being of U.S. Parents.” Sociological Focus. 

Zhang, Zhe, Qi Li, Cynthia G. Colen, and Rin Reczek. 2025. “Multigenerational Coresidence and Psychological Distress during Adolescence and Young Adulthood: An Exploration among White, Black, and Hispanic Individuals.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior. doi: 10.1177/00221465251362474.

Li, Qi. 2024. “Sandwich Caregiving and Midlife Women’s Health: An Examination of Racial Disparities.” Family Relations 73(5):3291–308.

Li, Qi, and Cynthia G. Colen. 2024. “Racial Disparities in the Relationship between Parental Incarceration and Childhood Obesity.” Population Research and Policy Review 43(4):62. 

Li Qi, Chris Knoester, and Richard J. Petts. 2022. “Attitudes about Paid Parental Leave in the United States.” Sociological Focus 55(1):48–67.

Knoester, Chris, and Qi Li. 2022. “Preferences for Paid Paternity Leave Availability, Lengths of Leave Offerings, and Government Funding of Paternity Leaves in the United States.” Sociological Perspectives 65(2):374–97.