Juan Camilo Rojas Lopez

Juan is a physician from Colombia with postgraduate training in health management and currently a master’s of public health student in Applied Epidemiology at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. Before coming to UNC, he worked clinically in addiction and mental health care and developed a research trajectory spanning substance use, suicide, mental health service access, health systems, and geographic inequities. His recognized work in mental health epidemiology includes research on the distribution and accessibility of mental health services in Colombia, suicide, and socioeconomic disparities, alongside studies in addiction and vulnerable populations.

His clinical experience caring for patients with substance-use and psychiatric disorders strengthened his interest in how everyday behaviors, social conditions, health systems, and policy environments shape health. At UNC, he is expanding this perspective through applied epidemiology and population-level data, with growing interests in food and beverage purchasing patterns, health-related behaviors, nutrition policy, real-world data, and the use of quantitative evidence to understand how policies, markets, and environments influence population health.

My “go-to” comfort food is… bandeja paisa, a traditional Colombian dish.

The craziest thing I’ve ever eaten is… alpaca (I didn’t like it).

My favorite topping is… Cholula.