About
Dr Greta K Wood is a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases at the University of Liverpool, working to build infection monitoring systems using biosensors. Working with the University of Cape Town, she is developing a low-cost monitoring system for severe respiratory infection using both point-of-care and real-time electrochemical sensors. This follows on from her work demonstrating the high mortality of respiratory infection with TB in South Africa, particularly in those with TB multimorbidity.
In the UK national COVID-19 Clinical Neuroscience Study she demonstrated persistent brain injury in COVID-19, associated with cognitive deficits equivalent to 20 years’ brain ageing and reduced grey matter volume on neuroimaging (Wood et al, Nature Med, 2024). To address this, she is now leading the development of a point-of-care device and skin patch to monitor infection and brain injury biomarkers in real time. She is a member of the Encephalitis International Scientific Advisory Panel.
She is a member of the World Health Organisation Neurology and Public Health Global Forum and led the WHO/UoL/MRF-funded Global Brain Health Clinical Exchange. Her other research focuses are seizures in encephalitis and the aetiology of brain infection in low- and middle-income countries. In 2019, she was based in the Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust, Blantyre, Malawi, as part of the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Improving the Management of Acute Brain Infection.
In 2020, she completed a PGCert Tropical Medicine and International Health in the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. In 2018, funded by a competitive Barbour Scholarship, she completed an MRes Global Health in Newcastle University for which she was awarded the Prize for the highest mark in written examinations of over 200 candidates. Prior to this, she worked clinically and academically in Nicaragua and the Czech Republic, funded by the Wellcome Trust/ Academy of Medical Sciences. She was awarded the Sir John Walton Salver Prize for her quality improvement work.
She holds a national leadership role within the Royal College of Physicians Flexibility and Wellbeing Reference Group.
Clinically, she works in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
POLICY
WHO Brain Health Unit: WHO Neurology and COVID-19: Scientific Brief, 20 August 2024 (Contributing author)/WHO Neurology and COVID-19: Scientific Brief, 29 September 2021 (Contributing author)
PPIE
Member of Encephalitis International Scientific Advisory Panel
IMPACT; KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE
Lead Global Brain Health Clinical Exchange
Co-Lead international COVID-Neuro Clinical Exchange on behalf of the WHO Neurology & COVID-19 Global Forum.
TEACHING
University of Liverpool, School of Medicine: Member of Faculty of Academic and Clinical Educators. Supervisor and teacher Research & Scholarship Modules.
MEDIA
COVID-CNS: Trial Site News: COVID-19 and psychosis
SEIZURE Score: The Encephalitis Podcast
Biosensor Patch: NIHR News/University of Liverpool News