Dr Guoyan (Emily) Yang

Position

Research Support Program Fellow

Biography

Dr. Guoyan (Emily) Yang is a Research Support Program Fellow in Healthy Ageing at NICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University. Her research interest is complementary and integrative medicine interventions, particularly Tai Chi, in the prevention and management of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, mild cognitive impairment, and mental disorders. Dr. Yang has experience in the design and conduct of Tai Chi clinical trials and expertise in Tai Chi intervention development and adaptation for chronic disease. Her research has investigated physiological, psychosocial, and behavioural outcomes such as cardiorespiratory efficiency, mental health, physical activity, quality of life, mood, and self-efficacy.

Dr. Yang has published over 80 research papers in peer-reviewed journals (Google Scholar total citations: 2793, h-index: 30) and is frequently invited to present her research findings in domestic and international conferences. She serves on the editorial boards of the European Journal of Integrative Medicine and the Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical Sciences and as reviewers of several peer-reviewed journals.

In addition to her research, Dr. Yang is a Tai Chi instructor with over 16 years of experience. She has been learning Tai Chi from Beijing Chen-style Tai Chi Grant Master Tian Qiutian and Zhang Peijun in Beijing since 2006, and she continues to pursue it as a lifelong learning journey. Dr Yang teaches Tai Chi at the Next Practice Western Sydney Integrative Health clinic at Western Sydney University, and the Boyuan Tai Chi for Health Association Australia. Passionate about sharing the knowledge and practical skills of Tai Chi for health and wellbeing with the wider community, Dr. Yang has been invited to give over 20 community health talks by local libraries and community organisations and been frequently invited to perform Tai Chi at international conferences and community events.

Research Interests

• Tai Chi intervention
• Traditional Chinese medicine
• Acupuncture
• Cardiovascular health
• Mild cognitive impairment
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Cancer survivorship
• Mental health, including stress, anxiety, and depression
• Culturally and linguistically diverse population

Qualifications & Recognition

• 2020 PhD (Health Science), Western Sydney University, Australia
• 2014 Master of Medicine (Evidence-Based Medicine), Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China
• 2011 Bachelor of Arts (Medical English), Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China*2024 ACRA NSW/ACT Scholarship, Australia
• 2022 Early Career Researcher Fellowship, Western Sydney University
• 2022 Best Poster Award, ACRA 2022 (Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association 2022 Annual Meeting), Gold Coast, Australia
• 2021-2025 Research Support Program Fellowship, Western Sydney University
• 2018 Young Investigator Award, ICIMH 2018 (13th International Congress on Complementary Medicine and Health sponsored by the International Society for Complementary Medicine Research), Baltimore, USA
• 2018 Student Seminar Best Poster Award, NICM Health Research Institute, Australia
• 2018 Student Seminar Best Presentation Award, NICM Health Research Institute, Australia
• 2017 Higher Degree Research Scholarship, Graduate Research School, Western Sydney University, Australia
• 2017 Winner of 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition, School of Health and Sciences, Western Sydney University, Australia
• 2015-2018 International Postgraduate research Scholarship, Australian Federal Government
• 2015-2018 Australian Postgraduate Award, Australian Federal Government
• 2011 Postgraduate Scholarship, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China
• 2008 Endeavor Scholarship, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China

Research & Publications

• For a complete list of my publications please see my publications page (opens in a new window)
• View my ResearchGate profile (opens in a new window)

Contact Details