Dr Veline L'Esperance

Profile

Dr Veline L’Esperance is a practising General Practitioner and Senior Clinical Lecturer in Primary Care and Health Economics at Queen Mary University of London. Her research sits at the intersection of genomics, health inequalities, primary care and health policy, focusing on how advances in medicine can be translated into equitable health outcomes, particularly for populations historically underrepresented in research.

Dr L’Esperance completed her medical training in Southampton and holds a Master of Health Policy and Management from the University of Birmingham, a Master of Public Health from King’s College London, and a PhD in Health Economics and Primary Care from King’s College London. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans clinical medicine, health economics, health technology assessment and genomic medicine, with a focus on generating evidence that informs policy and improves healthcare.

Alongside her academic and clinical roles, Dr L’Esperance is Senior Clinical Advisor in Genomics and Precision Medicine at the NHS Race and Health Observatory, where she shapes national strategy to help ensure that advances in genomics and personalised medicine are accessible, equitable and responsive to the needs of diverse populations. She also co-leads Black Health Legacy, a Wellcome Trust-funded initiative working to transform representation in clinical research and strengthen the evidence base for conditions disproportionately affecting Black populations.

Drawing on her experience as a member of the NICE Technology Appraisal Committee, where she contributed to the evaluation of the clinical and cost effectiveness of new treatments for NHS adoption, Dr L’Esperance brings a distinctive perspective spanning frontline clinical care, research, health policy and resource allocation. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a recipient of the Outstanding Early Career Award, jointly awarded by the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Society for Academic Primary Care, and the Health Research & Life Sciences Award of the Year at the Black Healthcare Awards.

Before entering medicine, Dr L’Esperance worked in global pharmaceutical market research, bringing an additional perspective on the development, evaluation and adoption of healthcare innovations.

Research

Research Interests:

Veline is dually trained GP and Health Economist with expertise spanning primary care, health economics, health inequalities and genomic medicine. Her research combines econometric modelling, health technology assessment and the evaluation of clinical and cost effectiveness to inform NHS decision-making, address inequalities in access to healthcare and ensure advances in precision medicine translate into equitable outcomes for diverse populations.

Recent major grants include

UKRI West Africa, West Indies, West London: unpicking nature, nurture, and environment to guide epidemic responses. APP77495: £3.1m. Co-Investigator

Wellcome Trust Genomics in Context: Enabling equitable genomic discovery in Caribbean populations across UK and Caribbean. 347028/Z/26/Z March 2027-March 2029

£505, 000. Principle Investigator

Wellcome Trust Discovery Award. Towards a type 2 diabetes precision diagnosis approach with glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) measurement. 227897/Z/23/Z. January 2024-December 2032, £4.5m. Co-Investigator

Publications

Daley D, Ayoub A, Akyea RK, L'Esperance V, Silva L, Wierzbicki AS, Williams H, Qureshi N, Molokhia M. Systematic identification of familial hypercholesterolaemia: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis. Atherosclerosis. 2025 Dec 26;413:120625

Martin S, Samuel M, Stow D, Ridsdale AM, Chen J, Young KG, Green HD, Hattersley AT, L'Esperance V, McKinley TJ, Finer S, Barroso I; Genes & Health Research Team. Undiagnosed G6PD Deficiency in Black and Asian Individuals Is Prevalent and Contributes to Health Inequalities in Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis and Complications. Diabetes Care. 2025 Nov 1;48(11):19321941.

Mafi A, Naqvi H, L'Esperance V. Taking racism out of clinical guidelines. BMJ. 2024 Apr 30;385:q942. doi: 10.1136/bmj.q942. PMID: 38688551.

Naqvi H, L'Esperance V. Tackling bias in medical devices: the Equity in Medical Devices Independent Review is welcome, but could have gone further. BMJ. 2024 Mar 12;384:q620. doi: 10.1136/bmj.q620. PMID: 38471732.

L’Esperance V and Ashworth M. GDP, CPI, RPI, and GPs: why economic indicators matter for GPs. British Journal of General Practice 2022; 72 (724): 514-515. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp22X720977

Molokhia M, Ayis S, Karamanos, L’Esperance V, Yousif S, Durbaba S, Curcin, V Ashworth M, Harding S. What factors influence differential uptake of NHS Health Checks, diabetes and hypertension reviews among women in ethnically diverse South London? Cross-sectional analysis of 63,000 primary care records, eClinicalMedicine (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101471.

Rezel-Potts E, L’Esperance, V, Gulliford M. Antimicrobial stewardship during the COVID-19 epidemic: population-based cohort study and interrupted time series analysis in the UK. https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2020.1030BJGP 2021; 71 (706): e331-e338. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/BJGP.2020.1051

Round T, L’Esperance V, Ashworth M, Moller H. Cancer detection via urgent referral in England: a cross sectional study of association with practice characteristics 2009/10 to 2018/19. In press BJGP

Round, T, L’Esperance V, Bayly J, Brain K,  Dallas L, Edwards J,  Haswell T, Hiley C, Lovell N,  McAdam J, McCutchan G, Nair A, Newsom-Davis T, Sage EK, Navani N. COVID-19 and the multi-disciplinary care of patients with lung cancer: an evidence-based review. Br J Cancer 2021. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-021-01361-6

L'Esperance V, Gravelle H, Schofield P, Ashworth M. Impact of primary care funding on patient satisfaction: a retrospective longitudinal study of English general practice, 2013-2016. BJGP. 2020 Dec 28;71(702):e47-e54. https://doi: 10.3399/bjgp21X714233.

L'Esperance V, Schofield P, Ashworth M. The provision of additional services in primary care: a cross-sectional study of incentivised additional services, social deprivation, and ethnic group. BJGP Open. 2021 Jan 5:bjgpopen20X101141. https://doi:10.3399/bjgpopen20X101141.

L’Esperance, V., Gravelle, H., Schofield, P., Santos, R. & Ashworth, M. Relationship between general practice capitation funding and the quality of primary care in England: a cross-sectional, 3-year study., 2019: BMJ Open;9:e030624. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030624