Haidong Lu, PhD

Haidong Lu is an epidemiologist and methodologist who is passionate about bridging the disciplines of epidemiology, statistics, population health and medical research. His research focuses on leveraging appropriate advanced epidemiologic methods to draw causal inferences from observational data (e.g., longitudinal cohort studies and electronic health records). Through this approach, he strives to generate accurate and impactful real-world evidence bases that inform health decision-making and promote public health equity. Dr. Lu is also focused on enhancing methodologies for analyzing randomized controlled trials, particularly in addressing challenges related to non-compliance and generalizability. His substantive research interests center around infectious diseases, substance use, and pharmacoepidemiology. He earned a PhD in Epidemiology with a formal minor in Biostatistics from UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, and a master's degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Lu also holds a degree in pharmacy, further reinforcing his diverse and extensive background in health-related fields.

Dr. Lu is currently supported by the NIH/NIDA K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award on evaluating and optimizing care for opioid use disorder through state-of-art data science approaches (e.g., mathematical modeling, counterfactual prediction, and machine learning-based precision medicine).