David O'Riordan, PhD
Associate Professor
Medicine
School of Medicine

david.oriordan@ucsf.edu 415-476-6792

Dr. David O'Riordan is an Associate Professor in the Division of Palliative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. He is a public health scholar with a PhD from the University of Queensland, Australia, with expertise in instrument development, multi-method study design, and the application of social ecological models to promote positive health behavior change.

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Dr. O'Riordan's research spans three areas: patient-level clinical research, institutional and programmatic research, and program evaluation. Working closely with clinical teams, he addresses a broad spectrum of patient outcomes, ranging from disease-specific conditions including neurological disorders, ALS, heart failure, renal disease, and liver disease, to symptom-focused challenges such as pain, anxiety, dyspnea, and depression.

His institutional and programmatic research examines the structure and characteristics of palliative care services across inpatient, outpatient, and pediatric settings, contributing to national benchmarking efforts through the Palliative Care Quality Network and guiding the sustainable expansion of palliative care programs across the United States.

Equity is central to Dr. O'Riordan's work. He has collaborated on projects examining disparities in access to palliative care across diverse populations and on the development of validated screening tools to identify patients with unmet palliative care needs.

Dr. O'Riordan applies the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) to evaluate quality improvement and educational interventions, assessing not just whether interventions work but whether they reach those who need them most and can be sustained over time.

He is also committed to mentoring the next generation of researchers, serving as an Inquiry Advisor and DCR Small Group Leader at UCSF, guiding medical students through the design and execution of original scholarly projects.

Education & Training

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  • PhD Public Health University of Queensland 2001
  • MHSc Public Health Queensland University of Technology 1995
  • BEd Education Queensland University of Technology 1993

Publications (76)

Top publication keywords:
Hospice and Palliative Care NursingSunburnSunlightCommunity ParticipationHospitalsReferral and ConsultationProtective ClothingUltraviolet RaysTerminal CareAdvance Care PlanningQuality of Health CarePalliative CareSmoking PreventionSunscreening AgentsBathing Beaches

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