Daniel Derksen, MD is the University of Arizona (U of A) Health Sciences Associate Vice President for Health Equity, Outreach & Interprofessional Activities. He is a Professor in the UArizona Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health with joint appointments in the College of Medicine Tucson (COM-T) and College of Nursing.

Dr. Derksen was born in Phoenix, attended U of A for both his B.S. (1979) and M.D. (1984) degrees, did his family medicine residency at the University of New Mexico (1987) where he was then on the faculty for 25 years, before returning to U of A in 2012. In 2018 he received the Leonard M. Napolitano PhD, UNM Alumni Award and was the 2019 U of A COM-T Alumnus of the Year.

Dr. Derksen completed a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowship in 2007-08 with U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman (NM). He researched and drafted provisions to improve the supply and distribution of the nation’s health workforce later enacted in the 2010 Affordable Care Act, including Teaching Health Centers. Working for Governor Martinez in 2011-12 as Director, NM Office of Health Reform, he established their health insurance exchange, Be Well New Mexico.

Dr. Derksen directs the Arizona Center for Rural Health and is Principal Investigator (PI) of grants including Arizona’s State Office of Rural Health (SORH). The 2023-24 AzCRH Annual Report is at:
crh.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2024-08/240812_CRH_annual_reportwith%20map.pdf  

He is the Senior Advisor for the Arizona Area Health Education Center (AzAHEC) Program, see: 
azahec.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/2023-11/2023%20AHEC%20Annual%20Report.pdf

The 2023 legislative session appropriated $5M to the AzAHEC Program, to work with Arizona’s Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), Rural Health Clinics (RHCs), critical access hospitals (CAHs), and Tribal Operated (P.L. 93-638 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act) clinics and hospitals to expand existing and create new rural primary care residency graduate medical education (GME) programs.

In his 37-year academic career he has been principal investigator for federal and state grant awards totaling $48.5 million during his 25 years at UNM, and $49.6M in his 12 years back at U of A, not including more than $4.4M awarded (HRSA) for FY’25-29.

Dr. Derksen’s current work informs legislative, regulatory and program policy to improve health equity, increase health insurance coverage, reduce the uninsured, narrow health disparities and assure a well-trained and distributed health workforce to meet the health needs of all Arizonans.

Updated: 09/03/2024