Yoshiko Sakuma | 佐久間善子

I am a research fellow in the Department of Public Health, Environments & Society at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health. I am currently working on an abortion project aimed at improving the quality of abortion care for women with medically and/or socially complex needs in the UK.

I completed my MPH at Imperial College London (Global Health Stream), supervised by Dr. Henock Taddese and collaborated with the Imperial Clinical Trials Unit.

           

profile photo
Research

I'm interested in People with disabilities, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Rehabilitation.

Abortion project - The NIHR Policy Research Unit in Reproductive Health

The study aims to understand how high-quality abortion care can be provided to patients with high support health and/or social needs. The research we plan will be in three areas in England that are at different stages in setting up care for patients with high-support health and/or social needs having abortions. We will interview patients and professionals working in health, social and voluntary sectors on topics to answer our research questions.   

Every Newborn - BIRTH study

The EN-BIRTH study utilised an innovative tablet-based system to validate data from routine facility registers and women’s survey reports in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Tanzania. It holds significant implications for measuring progress, particularly to reduce stillbirths, newborn, and maternal deaths. Funded by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

Improving quality and use of newborn indicators (IMPULSE study)

The IMProving qUaLity and uSE of newborn indicators (IMPULSE) study is a two-phase project aiming to describe and improve the quality and use of facility-level newborn indicators in four African countries: Central African Republic, Ethiopia, United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda. Developing and co-creating an intervention to enhance newborn data quality, aiming to prevent complications, morbidities, and preventable disabilities.

Trauma System Development in the Demogratic Republic of Congo

We are dedicated to improving trauma care in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Our efforts are particularly focused on the prevention of disabilities, enhancing the accessibility of rehabilitation services, and deepening our understanding of the risks associated with road traffic injuries, especially for those with disabilities.

SHOAR project: Sexual Health in Older Adults Research (UK-China project)

Participatory and community-driven research to obtain evidence for improving sexual health services among older adults and inform relevant policy recommendations for local authorities. Utilising DCE survey, crowdsourcing contest, hackathon. I am personally invested in exploring the sexual behavior, outcomes, and service preferences of disabled people through this project. Funded by Economic and Social Research Counsil (ESRC).

The SHINE project: Shining spotlight on the inclusion of disabled participants in clinical trials: A mixed-methods study

We highlight the importance of including people with disabilities in clinical trials. By gathering both quantitative and qualitative data from individuals living with disabilities, their families, and clinical trial staff, we aim to identify barriers to participation in clinical trials by people with disabilities and explore ways to make these trials more inclusive. This initiative is supported by the EDI Seed Fund.