In 2019, the hospital was tasked with establishing the military's first clinical tropical medicine department, and Li was selected to build it from the ground up. To understand the troops' needs, she led her team on a 30,000-kilometer journey to visit more than 50 units.

The early days tested their perseverance. The department lacked dedicated space and had few staff members. Li and her team moved five times. In 2020, they relocated to a temporary prefabricated structure, where they gradually set up the facility and expanded their team.