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Heli Harvala is a Consultant Medical Virologist and Principal Investigator at NHS Blood Transplant, where she leads the Blood Safety research team. Her research mainly focuses on transfusion-transmitted viral infections, aiming to improve understanding of current risks and preparedness for emerging pathogens. She has made significant contributions in identifying occult hepatitis B infections and understanding their risk in blood transfusion. Harvala has a wide range of interests in molecular epidemiology and the application of genome sequencing to enhance the effectiveness of microbiological donation screening. Additionally, she established and continues to lead the European Non-Polio Enterovirus Network (ENPEN), which evaluates the importance of enterovirus and parechovirus infections while monitoring emergence in collaboration with 20 European countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was involved in setting up SARS-CoV-2 testing for convalescent plasma donors in England. Dr. Harvala is widely published with over 110 peer-reviewed publications and an h-index of 45, and she is an active member of various professional committees, including the European Society of Clinical Virology and the British Blood Transfusion Society.
Department of Politics and International Relations - Higher Level English requirement.