Biography
Yaning (she/her) is a NIHR-funded PhD student within the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit in Donor Health and Behaviour, where she is fortunate to be supervised by Dr Lois Kim and advised by Dr Stephen Kaptoge. Prior to her doctoral studies, Yaning obtained a MSc in Global Health Science and Epidemiology (University of Oxford; 2023) and a BSc in Population Health Sciences with Data Science (University College London; 2022) while working part-time in the research, startup, and charity sectors. From 2020-2023, she served as the Head of Communications for MedSupplyDrive UK, a new charity supplying health and care staff with personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic, and subsequently led an original investigation into PPE access and healthcare worker mortality in high-income countries. The resulting peer-reviewed publication was cited in briefings for Scottish policymakers in 2021. In her free time, Yaning plays the piano at the Royal Papworth Hospital (and accompanies occasional guest singers) and spends time in her college community.
Research
What effects does donating whole blood have on individuals' health, why do those effects occur, and how can we keep donors (and recipients) safe? My thesis uses literature synthesis, causal inference and machine learning methods, and randomised trial data to approach these questions. I am currently conducting primary analyses using the STRIDES, COMPARE, and INTERVAL studies of blood donors throughout England. I am also working with the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) Collaborative to synthesise donor vigilance data from global blood services. In addition, public engagement forms an important part of my ongoing development as a researcher, and I am currently exploring ways to strengthen my work with input from donors and other impacted stakeholders.
Publications
**Wu Y**, Qi H, Di Angelantonio E, Kaptoge S, Wood AM, Kim LG. Risk factors for vasovagal reactions in blood donors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Transfusion. 2025 Jan;65(1):211-223. doi: 10.1111/trf.18078.
**Wu, Y**, Breilean, I, Downing, K, Feliciano, T, Lim, ZT, Rewari, N, & Wong, J (2021). Keeping our frontline safe: linking personal protective equipment policies and healthcare worker mortality in the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, and New Zealand. Bentham Brooks Institute Research Journal, 1(1), 121-189.
Teaching and Supervisions
Demonstrator and marker for the MPhil in Population Health Sciences (multiple biostatistics and epidemiology modules) and seminar leader for MedST Part1A (Foundations in Evidence-Based Practice)
Other Professional Activities
Peer reviewer for Vox Sanguinis and BMC Public Health
