Faces of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic: Denise Lopez
September 3, 2026Categories: Faces of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic
This series spotlights colleagues who are helping create a safe, healing and compassionate environment both in and out of the hospital.
Denise Lopez, CCHW, practice administrator of St. Mary Family Medicine Bensalem, isn’t one for minimalist décor.
Walking into her office feels like stepping into the world’s happiest museum, with trinkets, photographs, inspiring messages and decorations for all the holidays—including a giant inflatable Christmas pig—claiming each nook and cranny of her workspace.
At its heart, Lopez’s office is a collection of everything that makes her smile. But it’s also a physical representation of her life’s key goal: to bring light to everyone she encounters. Whether she’s helping patients navigate the health care system or toting a crockpot of something delicious for her colleagues, Lopez’s spirit and selflessness is a driving force at St. Mary Family Medicine Bensalem.
Often the first to arrive and last to leave, Lopez’s dedication to the practice is evident to all who meet her. Part of what makes her the perfect fit to oversee its operations is her familiarity with hardship—and how to come out stronger on the other side.
“I’ve been homeless. I was pregnant as a teenager at 17. I’ve been poor, so I know some of their struggles. I get it,” Lopez says. “Someone held my hand through it all, so I want to hold someone’s hand.”
St. Mary Family Medicine Bensalem welcomes people from all walks of life through its doors. On any given day, there may be a young, pregnant patient like Lopez, an individual who is brand new to the country or a family who is financially struggling. But here, circumstances don’t matter.
“Our mission is still the same as the day we opened—we are going to get you seen and help you. Whether you’re insured or uninsured, it doesn’t matter. We’re going to help you regardless,” she says. “You’re still a person.”
Lopez not only works to ensure everyone receives care, but also feels empowered to move forward beyond their appointment. For example, she vividly remembers one patient from Ecuador who was 12 weeks pregnant and trapped in an abusive marriage. Lopez didn’t hesitate to connect the woman with proper channels to get a PFA (Protection from Abuse).
Her motto—one she hopes patients take with them—is simple. Our dark days don’t have to define us. Instead, we can use them to grow and build a brighter future. Throughout her life, Lopez has done exactly that, overcoming many obstacles while still smiling. It’s something her late mother Doris, whose photograph is displayed front and center in her office, taught her the importance of at an early age.
From navigating teen motherhood and poverty, to advancing her career beyond working 10 hours a week for $10 an hour at a local nonprofit, to losing 140 pounds, Lopez knows there’s nothing she can’t do.
She’s especially proud of the latter. After a wellness check informed her she was overweight, prediabetic and might not live more than another 10 years, she saw two paths before her—either continue as she was or do something about it. Lopez started running every single day and never stopped. Even in snow, ice and rain, she laces her sneakers and hits the pavement.
“I fall. And that’s okay because you get back up,” she says. “If you want to be healthy and happy, it really has to start with you. Either you’re going to do it or you’re not. That’s part of why I’m so driven today—I didn’t sit at home and wallow. I know how to pull myself out of the negative. I know what I’m capable of.”
This positive attitude is infectious among Lopez’s colleagues, who she works to bring together over a universal connector—food. Most days, the breakroom is filled the delectable aromas of her cooking. Lopez measures with her heart rather than sticking to a strict recipe, but that’s what makes her dishes extra enjoyable.
And, of course, if colleagues need some additional feel-good energy, they can always stop by Lopez’s office to read an inspiring plaque, meet her newest plushie and enjoy some holiday cheer, no matter the time of year.
“We’re going to laugh and smile, and some days will be a struggle,” she says. “But if we can do it as a team, we’ll be okay.”