International collaboration enhances patient advocacy

When we talk about blood donation, the focus is often on donors and the generosity of giving. Far less visible are the experiences of those who receive blood – the patients navigating complex healthcare systems, cultural expectations and often linguistic barriers while managing life-changing diagnoses.

For Dr Jieun Kim, Associate Professor of East Asian Studies at the School of Languages, Cultures and Societies, attending more closely to patients’ stories is key to strengthening blood donation cultures and, more broadly, healthcare systems. In 2025, funded by the University of Leeds’ Impact Acceleration Account, Dr Kim took forward a new project that focused on strengthening blood patient advocacy.

Impact

• Health impact: enhance capacity for multilingual, patient-centred advocacy in healthcare and public engagement contexts
• Interdisciplinary research: hosted a collaborative exhibition at Leeds’ Thackray Museum of Medicine, which highlighted patient stories.

Key information

• Major funders: Impact Acceleration Account, Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)
• Partners and collaborators: Blood Cancer UK, Korea Leukaemia Patients Organisation, the Thackray Museum of Medicine.
• Disciplines: anthropology, healthcare
• Investigators: Dr Jieun Kim.

This project was sponsored by the UKRI Impact Acceleration Account.

Keywords: blood, haematology, medicine, health, healthcare, patient care, patient stories, patient case studies, improving care, healthcare inequalities, NHS, lived experience