Lili Liu is a professor in the School of Public Health and Health Systems, and Dean of the Faculty of Health at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Dr. Liu earned degrees in BSc (Occupational Therapy), MSc and PhD (Rehabilitation Science), at McGill University. She began her academic career at the University of Alberta where she progressed through the ranks and served as chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy from 2008 to 2019 before joining the University of Waterloo.

In 2018, Liu received the 40th Muriel Driver Memorial Lectureship Award. The prestigious award recognizes a member of the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) who has gone above and beyond for the profession through research, education and practice. Her lecture, titled “Occupational Therapy in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, reviewed the evolution of occupational therapy and the technological innovations faced by occupational therapists and their clients in the context of automation and changing job market requirements.

Liu advances health-care technology through her leadership roles in research, administration, service and mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, as well as post-doctoral fellows. She maintains an externally funded research program that examines acceptance and adoption of technologies by older adults, their care partners, health care professionals, and unlicensed care personnel.

As a rehabilitation professional, Liu also engages with community organizations, as well as policy and decision makers. Alzheimer Societies, search and rescue personnel, dementia advocacy and caregiver associations, nationally and internationally, are partners in her research program.

Liu is an AGE-WELL network investigator, and her current research program examines the applications of technologies and other innovations to mitigate risks of going missing among persons living with dementia. Her team focuses on approaches to inform and implement policies that create safe environments for older adults.