Tiffany Yip

My research focuses on how people make sense of wearables, such as fitness trackers and smartwatches, in relation to wellbeing.

Many of us wear these devices every day, but we know little about whether constant tracking helps or hinders lasting wellbeing. The data they collect also rarely reaches the NHS, which is built mainly to support people at the point of crisis.

I am a first-year DPhil student in Primary Health Care, funded by the Haleon Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences studentship. I am particularly interested in how the features that make wearables popular or policy promises may sit at odds with sustained wellbeing.

My earlier work asked how digital tools can support mental health. I led a systematic review of AI-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety and depression, and also studied the promise of AI chatbots for young adults with anxiety against the realities of NHS implementation. I also co-lead the FLOWER Project, which brings technology-based mental health education to secondary schools in Hong Kong.

I hold a BSocSc in Psychology from the University of Hong Kong and an MSc in Translational Health Sciences from the University of Oxford. I am a peer reviewer for BMJ Digital Health & AI and sit on the committee of the British Psychological Society Psychotherapy Section.