Yuxuan Susan Li

• First Aid & CPR-C certificates, Canadian Red Cross, 2024-02-17
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Certificate

• Canada Graduate Scholarship - Masters (Canadian Institutes of Health Research - CIHR Award)
• Ranked 3rd Place in Medical Terminology at ULC - Healthcare Occupations Students of America (HOSA), 2022-04-01, Competed with University of Toronto St. George and several other Ontario universities in the Medical Terminology category
• ACADEMIC BOWL-Placed 2nd at the National Academic Quiz Tournament (NAQT), Concordia Shanghai Invitational/Specialized in Physics, Mathematics, English, Economics, and Biology

• American Society of Nutrition (ASN) Conference, 2023-07-22 to 2023-07-25, Boston, Massachusetts, Presented research poster on arginine metabolism in the PN-fed neonate
• Neonatal Research Conference, 2023-03-01, Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning, Chosen as a speaker to present current research related to blood ammonia results and arginine metabolism in the PN-fed neonate

• An exploration study examining the utility of BIA-derived phase angle in children with intestinal failure, JPEN-2024-07-204
• Investigating Arginine Metabolism in Human Neonates: An Exploratory Study, JPEN-2025-01-007

To Whom it May Concern, Re: Ms. Yuxuan Li (Susan), I am pleased to provide this letter of recommendation on behalf of Yuxuan Li (Susan). I met Susan in the summer of 2021 when she worked as a summer research student in my lab. Susan impressed me throughout the summer with her diligence, discipline, hard work and amazing ability to understand and synthesize very difficult information in a timely manner. I was so impressed by Susan's performance that I accepted her as a master's student starting in September of that same year. Her thesis project was on 'arginine metabolism in the total parenteral fed (TPN) neonate'. As part of her project, she was responsible for all tasks pertaining to successful conduction and completion of her study. For the recruitment process, she visited the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) almost daily where she worked closely with the doctors, dietitians and nurses to identify and recruit neonates on TPN. She performed the screening and pre-screening based on inclusion/exclusion criteria and worked closely with the health care team who then introduced the study to the parents and caregivers. Susan proved herself to be compassionate and empathetic and was able to obtain written informed consent from 24 very stressed parents to study their babies. This is remarkable as she had never obtained consent for research studies in the past, let alone from parents of sick neonates. Susan coordinated all sample collection and worked with the nurses and DPLM personnel to ensure samples were received and processed in a timely manner. Susan was very diligent to meet with the laboratory personnel to work out details of the process to ensure blood was processed correctly given the time sensitivity of the analytes. She also learnt to prepares plasma samples and perform analysis on HPLC in our laboratory. Susan became very versed with EPIC and was able to collect all pertinent data related to the subjects from the electronic chart. During the two years of her masters, Susan took responsibility to renew her study on the REB site making sure to provide all required details necessary for study approval. In essences, all of the tasks performed during her master's degree are in keeping with the responsibilities of a Clinical Research Project Coordinator. The manuscript from her master's work has been written with her as first author and already submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal. Susan proved herself to be a quick learner, building her laboratory and time management skills with diligence, patience, and accuracy. She is very careful and dependable and an excellent team player. She was a valued member of our lab, helping many other students to either obtain informed consent for their studies or to collect samples from study participants in the CRC. She stepped up to help wherever needed. She also proved herself to be resourceful and very professional as evidenced by her ability to get along with the health care team in the NICU and enlist support for her study in a very stressful fast-paced environment. She brought a positive attitude in all her work. It is my pleasure to recommend Susan for this position. I am confident she will do a great job and be an important addition to your team. She is intelligent, hard working, and diligent. She works with integrity and gives attention to detail. She possesses a collaborative spirit and is adaptable. I highly recommend her for this position., 

Glenda Courtney-Martin, MSc., PhD, RD., Associate Professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Health Systems Research Scientist, Liver-Small Bowel Transplant & Group for the Improvement of GI Function & Treatment (GIFT), Sickkids Transplant Centre, 555 University Ave., Toronto, ON, M5G 1X8, 416-813-5744, 416-813-8471

• VARSITY TABLE TENNIS (September 2015 - June 2017)
• JV SOFTBALL & TENNIS (August 2014 - 2017)
• MODEL UNITED NATIONS (August 2013 - December 2016)
• BAND (August 2009 - June 2017 / Solo Flutist)