Professor Erica Wood AO

Learn more about Monash Health’s Haematology team.

Professor Erica Wood AO

MBBS, FRACP, FRCPA, FAHMS

Professor Erica Wood AO is a consultant haematologist at Monash Health, with a special interest in transfusion medicine and supportive care for patients with blood disorders. Erica is Head of the Transfusion Research Unit and Co-Director of the Acute and Critical Care Division in the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University. She also holds an honorary consultant appointment at the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Erica is a past president of the International Society of Blood Transfusion, and was president of the International Haemovigilance Network from 2013-19. She is a former president of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Blood Transfusion and currently a member of its Research Advisory Committee.

Erica is co-chair of the World Health Organization Advisory Group on Blood Regulation, Availability and Safety, and a member of the WHO Guidelines Development Groups on anaemia and on Donor Human Milk Banking

Erica is an Associate Editor at Blood, journal of the American Society of Hematology, and a member of the ASH Scientific Committee on Transfusion Medicine.

Erica serves on Australia’s national Haemovigilance Advisory Committee, the Therapeutic Goods Administration Advisory Committee on Biologicals, and from 2021-2024 the Evaluation Subcommittee of the Medical Services Advisory Committee. Between 2008-2015 Erica served as Associate Chief Examiner then Chief Examiner (Haematology) for the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. She is a founding member of the Victorian Blood Matters Advisory Committee, and chaired its Serious Transfusion Incident Reporting (STIR) expert group.

Erica is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and holds an NHMRC L2 Investigator Grant and several other NHMRC and MRFF grants. She leads the NHMRC-funded Blood Synergy program (bloodsynergy.org) and clinical trials and registries for transfusion and blood disorders. She has published more than 200 peer-reviewed manuscripts.

In recognition for her service to the profession and community Erica was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the King’s Birthday Honours List in 2023. Erica was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences in 2023 recognition of her research excellence. Erica has received numerous other awards, including the 2022 Medal of the International Haemovigilance Network, the inaugural Fiona Stanley Prize at the NHMRC Research Excellence Awards (2020), the Ruth Sanger Oration of the ANZSBT (2016), and a Churchill Fellowship (2013).

Relevant publications

McQuilten ZK, Weinkove R, Thao LTP… Wood EM; ALLG: Immunoglobulin replacement versus prophylactic antibiotics for infection prevention in adults with acquired hypogammaglobulinemia secondary to haematological malignancies: a randomized controlled feasibility trial (RATIONAL). Blood Advances 2024;8(7):1787-1795.

Carrillo de Albornoz S…Wood EM and McQuilten ZK: Immunoglobulin replacement versus prophylactic antibiotics for infection prevention in patients with acquired hypogammaglobulinemia secondary to hematological malignancies: an economic evaluation of the RATIONAL feasibility trial. Blood Advances 2024;8(9):2259-2267.

Wood EM, Estcourt LJ, McQuilten ZK: How should we use convalescent plasma therapies for COVID-19? Invited (Spotlight) review. Blood 2021; 137(12): 1573-1581.

REMAP-CAP Investigators: Effect of convalescent plasma on organ supportfree days in critically ill patients with COVID-19: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2021 Nov 2;326(17):1690-1702.

Wood EM, McQuilten ZK. Outpatient transfusions for myelodysplastic syndromes. Hematology: American Society of Hematology Education Program 2020(1): 167-174.

Cheok KPL, Chhetri R, Wee LYA, Salvi A, McRae S, Bardy P, Singhal D, Roxby DJ, Wood EM and Hiwase DK: The burden of immune-mediated refractoriness to platelet transfusions in myelodysplastic syndromes. Transfusion 2020; 60(10): 2192-2198.

Stanworth S, Killick S, McQuilten Z, Karakantza M, Weinkove R, Smethurst H, Pankhurst L, Hodge RL, Hopkins V, Thomas H, Deary AJ, Callum J, Lin Y, Wood EM, Buckstein R, Bowen D: Red cell transfusion in outpatients with myelodysplastic syndromes: a feasibility and exploratory randomized trial (REDDS). Br J Haematol 2020; 189(2): 279-290.

Piechotta V…Wood EM…Convalescent plasma or hyperimmune immunoglobulin for people with COVID-19: a living systematic review. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 Jul 10;7:CD013600.

Mueller MM…Wood EM, Seifried E: Patient blood management: Recommendations from the 2018 Frankfurt International Consensus Conference. JAMA 2019;321:983-97

McNeil JJ…Wood EM…ASPREE Investigators: Effect of aspirin on cardiovascular events and bleeding in the healthy elderly. NEJM 2018;379:1509-18.

Ong SY…Wood EM… Reduction of body iron in HFE-related haemochromatosis and moderate iron overload (Mi-Iron): a multicentre, participant-blinded RCT. Lancet Haematology 2017;4:e607–14.

Stanworth SJ, Estcourt LJ, Powter G…Wood EM and Murphy MF, on behalf of the TOPPS investigators: A no-prophylaxis platelet transfusion strategy in patients with haematologic cancers. N Eng J Med 2013;368 (19):1771- 1780.