Dr Stephen DeWilde is Senior Lecturer in General Practice in the Population Health Research Institute. He is interested in primary care databases; their development and preparation for research purposes, and their use in epidemiological research. Dr DeWilde works part time as a general practitioner (GP) and is involved in GP education and GP information technology. His research has focused on cardiovascular epidemiology, but he has also worked on diverse areas, including polypharmacy in the elderly, mental health and ocular disease.