Derrick Lopez

Derrick Lopez is a Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia (UWA), affiliated with the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Centre (CERC) and the School of Population and Global Health. His primary roles include leading data-intensive research projects, supervising MD students, and teaching linked health data courses. He holds a PhD from UWA and has completed specialized training in high-performance computing, health economics, and pharmacoepidemiology.

His research focuses on cardiovascular epidemiology, health services research, and pharmacoepidemiology, with a particular interest in ageing and frailty. He has extensive experience analyzing large administrative health datasets, including hospital, mortality, and pharmaceutical data. Key collaborations include the Medicines Intelligence Centre for Research Excellence and the National Stroke Data Linkage Interest Group.

Recent work explores spatial variations in health outcomes (e.g., breast cancer disparities in Queensland) and the impact of temperature extremes on urban health. His articles emphasize innovative data analysis techniques and healthcare policy implications.

Lopez has secured over AU$1 million in research funding, including grants for projects on pulmonary rehabilitation cost-effectiveness and heat vulnerability modeling. He actively engages in academic service, serving as an editor for the International Journal of Population Data Science and contributing to national/international conference programs.