She attended graduate school at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she received a PhD in Community Psychology with a minor in Statistics, Methods, and Measurement. Her research interests include disability-related disparities in health and access to care, health promotion for people with disabilities, and measurement of health-related quality of life among adults with disabilities. In 2009, Willi received a New Investigator Award from the Disability Section of the American Public Health Association (APHA). She currently serves as Treasurer of the APHA Disability Section and she co-founded the Disability Section of the Oregon Public Health Association.