Dr. Li Chen serves as Associate Director for Clinical Trials at Stony Brook Medicine, where he helps lead the strategic development and coordination of clinical research operations. His role focuses on optimizing study start-up processes, supporting investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored trials, and fostering collaboration between faculty, sponsors, and research partners to ensure efficient and compliant trial conduct.
Dr. Chen brings experience from both the pharmaceutical industry and academia. He led biomarker and clinical development initiatives across multiple programs at Biogen and Merck (MSD) in China. At Biogen, he directed clinical strategies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and stroke programs, using integrated biomarker approaches that accelerated regulatory timelines and advanced diagnostic capabilities. At Merck (MSD), he played a key role in launching and scaling PD-L1 testing in support of Keytruda across several cancer indications. His work combined clinical insight, regulatory engagement, and commercial execution to build China’s first IVD testing ecosystem in immuno-oncology. Before joining Stony Brook, Dr. Chen served as a Research Assistant Professor at Michigan Technological University, where his research focused on molecular mechanisms of cancer drug resistance and disease prevention.