Professor Imelda Bates

Biography

Imelda Bates is a clinical haematologist and Head of the Centre for Capacity Research at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM). The Centre for Capacity Research is a global leader in research on research systems and promotes evidence-informed practice in capacity strengthening with a focus on improving institutional systems, environments and cultures that support research. Imelda is committed to collaborative working by creating trusting and fruitful partnerships, and to mentoring and supporting colleagues and students at all career stages. She has authored many peer-reviewed publications and book chapters and contributed to international working groups including for neglected tropical diseases and anaemia. She has also chaired LSTM’s Research Integrity and Governance Committee and the British Society for Haematology’s Global Haematology Special Interest Group.

Research interests

Imelda’s main research interests are evidence-informed approaches to designing, implementing and evaluating capacity strengthening interventions, and public health aspects of anaemia (including sickle cell disease) and blood transfusion with a focus on implementation research.

Teaching

Imelda leads courses and contributes to LSTM’s teaching portfolio through face-to-face and online approaches covering clinical and laboratory aspects of haematology and blood transfusion, and capacity strengthening in different contexts.

Selected research publications

Medical haematology: Repositioning haematology at the centre of medicine – Journal: British Journal of Haematology – Published: 20th January 2026

“People here live in denial”: A qualitative study of the pervasive impact of stigma on asthma diagnosis and care in Kenya and Sudan – Journal: PLOS Global Public Health – Published: 16th December 2025

Catastrophic health expenditure, social protection coverage, and financial coping strategies in adults with symptoms of chronic respiratory diseases in Kenya: a cross-sectional study – Journal: The Lancet Global Health – Published: 25th July 2025

The African blood donor study: Study design and pilot experience from the BLOODSAFE program – Journal: Transfusion – Published: 24th June 2025

Deferrals for Low Haemoglobin and Anaemia Among First-Time Prospective Blood Donors in Southern Ghana: Results From the BLOODSAFE Ghana—Iron and Nutritional Counselling Strategy Pilot (BLIS) Study – Journal: Advances in Hematology – Published: 6th May 2025

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