Research summary
Canada is facing a growing opioid crisis that is driven by both illegal and prescription opioid use. It also spends more than $34 billion on prescription drugs each year. Dr. Tara Gomes, Canada Research Chair in Drug Policy Research and Evaluation, is conducting research to inform our response to the opioid overdose crisis and advancing the fields of drug policy and pharmacoepidemiology (the study of the uses and effects of drugs in populations).
She and her research team are generating timely, relevant research that will inform and evaluate priority drug policy issues identified by policy-makers and patients in Canada, with a particular focus on system-level efficiencies, access gaps, and drug safety in vulnerable populations. They are also characterizing the constantly changing factors behind substance-related deaths and evaluating the effectiveness of programs designed to reduce drug-related harms across Canada.