Yu Gao

Associate Professor Yu Gao is Deputy Director of Data & Data Integrity and an Associate Professor in Applied Statistics and Health Economics at Charles Darwin University's Faculty of Health, affiliated with the Molly Wardaguga Research Centre. Trained as an obstetrician, her expertise spans advanced biostatistics and health economics, with a focus on maternal and infant health, rural/remote healthcare, and Aboriginal health. She leads quantitative data analysis across major studies like the NHMRC-funded '1+1= A Healthy Start to Life' and Lowitja Institute's Baby Basket Program evaluation. Her work has shaped policy through rigorous economic evaluations, such as demonstrating cost savings and improved outcomes for Indigenous communities via midwifery group practices. Notably, her analysis contributed to securing $4.1M for model expansion. She serves on MRFF Grant Assessment Committees (2022-2023) and NHMRC panels (2016).

Education: Master of Obstetrics and Gynecology (2004, China) and PhD in Medical Statistics (Charles Darwin University, 2008). Her research outputs include 3 Lancet publications and 43 peer-reviewed articles. Recent projects (2020–2026) include studies on pandemic impacts on maternity care, Birthing on Country initiatives, and perineal injury prevention. She collaborates internationally on Indigenous healthcare equity and participatory action research.

• Key Projects:
  • Rainmaker Readiness (2020–2022): Midwifery continuity during pandemic
  • RISE SAFELY Birthing on Country (2022–2027): Empowering Indigenous birthing services
  • Assessing perineal injury care bundles (2019–2024)
• Grants & Funding: NHMRC, MRFF, Lowitja Institute
• Labs/Teams: Molly Wardaguga Research Centre, MWRC data analytics team
• Future Work: Scaling Birthing on Country models, health economic scoping reviews on preterm birth