Veronica Berrocal

Veronica Berrocal is a Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), affiliated with the Donald Bren School of Information & Computer Sciences. Her research focuses on developing statistical models to analyze spatial and temporal data, particularly in environmental health, geophysical processes, and public health outcomes. She collaborates with institutions like Drexel University and the University of Michigan to study the interplay between environmental factors (e.g., built environments, air quality) and health disparities. Her work also addresses calibration of geophysical models and leveraging social media for health behavior analysis.

Key research areas include spatial dependence modeling, post-processing outputs from climate/air quality models, and identifying how neighborhood characteristics influence health behaviors (e.g., obesity risk in school children). She develops statistical approaches to reconcile discrepancies between observational data and model outputs, particularly in environmental and health contexts. Her methodological contributions span Bayesian statistics, spatial-temporal data fusion, and multiresolution analysis.

Her research often integrates interdisciplinary collaborations, such as combining UAV mapping for disease surveillance (e.g., dengue outbreaks) and using Yelp reviews to assess food environments. She has also contributed to public health initiatives like developing web-based platforms (e.g., MyGoutCare) to improve patient education and outcomes for chronic conditions.

While no specific awards are listed, her extensive publications reflect her impact in environmental statistics and health analytics. She advises no listed students but collaborates widely with researchers across disciplines. Her office is located in DBH 2026, and she can be reached at vberroca@uci.edu.