Research summary
From 2016 to 2023, illicit substance use killed nearly 30,000 Canadians. It also resulted in more than $36 billion in health care and legal costs and lost productivity (these figures exclude costs in Quebec due to unavailable data). Yet we still have few effective interventions to address the physical and social consequences of this substance use.
As Canada Research Chair in Economics of Harm Reduction, Dr. Dimitra Panagiotoglou aims to quantify the true burden of illness from illicit substance use and rigorously evaluate harm reduction interventions. By collaborating with physicians, public health practitioners, policy-makers and patients nationwide, she and her research team aim to translate their research findings into policy and care standards that will improve Canadians’ health and well-being.