Dr Lachlan Dalli (BBiomedSc [Hons], PhD [Epidemiology]) is a Research Fellow from the Big Data, Epidemiology and Prevention Division (Stroke and Ageing Research). He is a current Stroke Foundation Research Grant Recipient (2026-2027) and a recent National Heart Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow  (2024-2025). 

Lachlan leads a research program with a vision to improve the safe, effective and equitable use of medicines in people with stroke. Lachlan has received recognition for his research and emerging leadership, at both the national (Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation Emerging Researcher of the Year 2025) and international (American Heart Association Paul Dudley White International Scholar Award) level.

As an emerging leader in pharmacoepidemiology (i.e., the study of the utilisation and real-world effects of medications and vaccines in the population), Lachlan has generated the first-ever insights into long-term medication adherence after stroke in Australia. He has expertise in the analysis of complex linked health datasets, including from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. In 2022, Lachlan led an international team to develop a new reporting tool for medication adherence (TEN-SPIDERS) - which is now recommended by the EQUATOR network and has been applied in >30 studies. He led the development of new open-source statistical coding to measure medication adherence in claims data using this TEN-SPIDERS framework.

Lachlan drives highly collaborative research, actively engaging stakeholders to ensure meaningful outcomes and lasting impact. He has published >60 peer-reviewed articles in prominent medical journals, including first-author publications in Neurology, Stroke and Hypertension. His current research is focused on leveraging Big Data to generate critical new knowledge on the real-world utilisation, safety, and effectiveness of medicines for primary and secondary prevention of stroke. He is Principal Investigator of the COMPASS project, involving the co-design and feasibility testing of a new digital health intervention to support medication adherence after stroke. 

In 2023, Lachlan was awarded a highly competitive 1-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences to progress his independent stream of research in stroke pharmacoepidemiology. Since 2024, Lachlan has led a collaborative research project, with CIA funding from a Jack Brockhoff Foundation Early Career Medical Grant, to investigate paediatric stroke and the role of recent infections and vaccinations. In 2025, Lachlan led his team to first place in the Global Cardiovascular Research Funders Forum Data Challenge, with their findings adopted by 13 major funders for cardiovascular disease research.

In his role as an epidemiologist for the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (AuSCR), Lachlan has developed and applied new statistical methods to more reliably assess the quality of hospital care for patients with stroke. He has contributed to >10 reports for the AuSCR and >500 individualised hospital reports to support the direct translation of evidence to improve stroke care in Australia.

Chief Investigator on National Research Projects:

• MRFF RDII000059 ($2.5M) with partners (state and federal governments, hospitals, clinicians, researchers) to revolutionise how AuSCR data are captured, linked, and reported in Australia for healthcare improvement.
• MRFF 2051475 ($2M) with partners (MedAdvisor, Outcome Health, Primary Health Networks) to revolutionise how patient-reported outcomes are captured, linked, and reported in Australia for health technology assessment of medicines.

International/National Leadership Positions:

• Statistical Editor and Editorial Board Member: Stroke
• Steering Committee and Co-Chair (EMCR Committee): Victorian Cardiovascular Research Network (CVRN)
• Co-Lead of the Methods and Data Portfolio: Centre of Research Excellence in Medicines Intelligence
• Program Manager: International Network for Standardised Population Insights and Real-world Evidence for Stroke (INSPIRE-STROKE)
• Coordinator:  National Stroke Data Linkage Interest Group
• Hypertension Australia Early Career Researcher Committee (2023-2024)

Committee Member:

• Australian and New Zealand Stroke Organisation Conference Scientific Committee
• Australian Clinical Trials Alliance Clinical Quality Registry SIG
• Centre of Research Excellence to Accelerate Stroke Trial Innovation & Translation: Research Affiliate

• Pharmacoepidemiology
• Real-world evidence
• Clinical quality registries
• Stroke epidemiology
• Public health
• Health services research
• Health equity

**Dr Dalli is currently accepting PhD candidates. Click here for a list of available projects.**

• Co-Chair: Monash University Victorian Heart Institute Future Research Leaders Alliance
• Monash University Data Linkage Working Group [EMCR Representative]