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Wei Yang

Kings College London


Wei Yang

Dr Wei Yang is a Senior Lecturer in Health Economics and Policy and Director at the Institute of Gerontology. Trained as a health economist, Wei’s research primarily focuses on assessing the impact of health and long-term care financing policies on disparities in access to care and equity in financing. Wei utilises longitudinal survey datasets to delve into these critical issues.

Wei’s work has appeared in esteemed journals such as Social Science and Medicine, European Journals of Health Economics, China Quarterly, Health Policy and Planning, and Journal of Gerontology. She has received the prestigious Future Research Leader award from the Economics and Social Research Council of the UK, recognising her as one of the most promising emerging researchers in the field of social science.

On an international scale, Wei is highly regarded for her research in both China and the UK. Her work has been cited by significant organisations, including the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in China, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank. She has been commissioned for projects by the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK and has also consulted for international organisations like the WHO and Population Services International.

Wei’s expertise has shared her expertise with global media outlets such as The Economist, the South Morning Daily (China), and De Groene Amsterdammer (the Netherlands). She also contributes her expertise as a member of the editorial board of Global Health Research and Policy and Aging and Health Research.

Wei obtained her PhD in Health Economics and Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, her MPhil in Medical Sociology from the National University of Singapore, and her BA in Sociology from Fudan University in China.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Countries China; United Kingdom (England);
Topics Access to care; Economics of LTC; Financing LTC; LTC Policy; LTC Reforms; LTC systems in LMIC countries;
Methods Causal inference in Long-Term Care; Economic evaluation; Quantitative data analysis; Quasi-experimental methods;
Role Research;
Interest Groups Data Science; Economics of Long-Term Care; Long-Term Care Policy; Quasi-experimental methods; Strengthening Responses to Dementia;
Websitehttps://www.bing.com/search?q=wei+yang+kcl&form=ANNH01&refig=a7fd428e4e96449db2ae8aec185c211c
Research interests
  • Inequalities in health and social care
  • Health and long-term care financing policy
  • Ageing
  • Mental health
  • Life course
  • Cost-effectiveness analysis in health and healthcare
Key publications
  1. Long, C., Yang, W. (2023). Application of CRISPR–Cas in ageing and health equity. Asian Biotechnology and Development Review. 25(1-3),74-75.
  2. Xu, X., Yang, W.*, Deng, Y., Liu, L., Zhang, X., Long, C., Dong, T., Zeng, J., Kui, J., & Wu, X. (2023). Association of socioeconomic status with glycated haemoglobin level and risk factors for diabetic retinopathy: a cross-sectional study in Sichuan, western China. BMJ Open, 16(2), e067475. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067475
  3. Hu, B., Yang, W., Bouanchaud, P., Chongo, Y., Wheeler, J., Chicumbe, S., & Chissano, M. (2023). Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Mozambique: the role of institutional trust. Vaccine, 41(17), 2846-2852. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.03.053
  4. Wang, Y., Yang, W.*, & Avendano, M. (2022). Does informal care reduce health care utilization in older age? Evidence from China. Social Science & Medicine, 306, 115123. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2022.115123
  5. Xu, M., & Yang, W.* (2022). Depressive symptoms among older empty nesters in China: the moderating effects of social contact and contact with one’s children. Aging and Mental Health. 27(1):54-69. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2021.2019190
  6. Wang, Y., & Yang, W*. (2022). Does Receiving Informal Care Lead to Better Health Outcomes? Evidence From China Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. Research on Aging, 44(7–8), 510–518. doi: 10.1177/01640275211052834
  7. Yang, W.*, & Hu, B. (2021). Catastrophic health expenditure and mental health in the older Chinese population: the moderating role of social health insurance. Journal of Gerontology: Series B, 77(1), 160–169. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbab130
  8. Xu, M., & Yang, W.* (2021). Who will drop out of voluntary social health insurance? Evidence from the New Cooperative Medical Scheme in China. Health Policy and Planning. 12;36(7):1013-1022. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czab017
  9. Wang, Y., Yang, W., & Avendano, M. (2021). Income-related inequalities in informal care: Evidence from the Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey in China. Journal of Gerontology: Series B. 76(8):1691-1696. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbab043
  10. Yang, W.*, Wu, B., Tan, S., Li, B., Lou, V., Chen, A., … Wang, Y. (2020). Understanding health and social challenges for aging and long-term care in China. Research on Aging. 43(3-4):127-135. doi:10.1177/0164027520938764
  11. Yang, W.*, & Wang, Y. (2020). Long-term care system in England: an overview. Annual Report on Population Ageing in China. Social Science Academic Press. (In Chinese)
  12. Yang, W.*, Chang, S., Zhang, W., Wang, R., Mossialos, E., Wu, X., Cui, D., … Mi, H. (2020). An Initial Analysis of the Effects of a Long-Term Care Insurance on Equity and Efficiency: A Case Study of Qingdao City in China. Research on Aging. 43(3-4):156-165. doi:10.1177/0164027520907346
  13. Chang, S., Yang, W.*, & Deguchi, H. (2020). Care providers, access to care, and the Long-term Care Nursing Insurance in China: An Agent-based Simulation. Social Science and Medicine. 244:112667. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112667
  14. Yang, W., & Tang, S. (2019). Is informal care sufficient to meet the long-term care needs of older people with disability in China? Evidence from China Health and Retirement Survey. Ageing and Society. 41(5), 980-999. doi:10.1017/S0144686X1900148X
  15. Yang, W.* (2019). Understanding non-medical costs for health care: Evidence from inpatient care for older people in China. China Quarterly. doi:10.1017/S0305741019001115
  16. Liu, L., Wang, Q., Dong, S., Sara, B., Yang, W., & Li, H. (2018). The technical efficiency of community health service centers in Wuhan, China: estimation and policy implications. Inquiry. doi: 10.1177/004695801881297
  17. Tan, S., Wu, X., & Yang, W. (2018). Impacts of the type of social health insurance on health service utilization and expenditures: implications for a unified system in China. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 14(4), 468-486. doi: 10.1017/S174413311800018X
  18. Yang, W.*, Gage, H., Jackson, D., & Raats, M. (2017). The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of plant sterol or stanol-enriched functional foods as a primary prevention strategy for people with cardiovascular disease risk in England: a modeling study. European Journal of Health Economics, 14(4), 909-922. doi: 10.1007/s10198-017-0934-2
  19. Yang, W.*, & Wu, X. (2017). Providing comprehensive health insurance coverage in rural China: a critical appraisal of the New Cooperative Medical Scheme and ways forward. Global Policy, 8(S2), 110-116. doi: 10.1111/1758-5899.12209
  20. Yang, W.*, Forder, J., & Nizalova, O. (2017). Measuring the productivity of residential long-term care in England: methods for quality adjustment and regional comparison. European Journal of Health Economics, 18(5), 635–647. doi: 10.1007/s10198-016-0816-z
  21. Yang, W.*, He, J., Fang, L., & Mossialos, E. (2016). Financing institutional long-term care for the elderly in China: a policy evaluation of new models. Health Policy and Planning, 31(10), 1391-1401. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czw081
  22. Yang, W.* (2016). How does the pharmaceutical industry influence prescription? A qualitative study of provider payment incentives and drug remunerations in hospitals in Shanghai. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 11(4), 379-395. doi: 10.1017/S1744133116000086
  23. Wouters, O., Cylus, J., Yang, W., Thomson, S., & McKee, M. (2016). Medical savings accounts: cost control, efficiency, and equity perspectives. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 11(3), 321-335. doi: 10.1017/S1744133116000025
  24. Yang, W.* (2015). Catastrophic Health Expenditure. In Encyclopaedia of World Poverty. London: SAGE. (ISBN: 9781483345703)
  25. He, J., & Yang, W. (2015). Clinical pathways in China – an evaluation. International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 28(4), 394-411. doi: 10.1108/IJHCQA-09-2014-0096
  26. Yang, W., & Wu, X. (2015). Paying for outpatient care in rural China: cost escalation under China’s New Co-operative Medical Scheme. Health Policy and Planning, 30(2), 187–196. doi: 10.1093/heapol/czt111
  27. Yang, W.* (2014). Catastrophic outpatient health payments and health payment-induced poverty under China’s New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 37(1), 64–85. doi: 10.1093/aepp/ppu017
  28. Yang, W.*, & Kanavos, P. (2012). The less unhealthy urban population: Income-related health inequalities in China. BMC Public Health, 12(804). doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-804
  29. Yang, W.* (2009). The development and challenges in health care policy and health care financing in contemporary China. Transition Studies Review, 16, 328–342. doi: 10.1007/s11300-009-0062-5