The BC-CfE is proud to announce three of its rising researchers have been recognized by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) with New Investigator Awards:Dr. Kanna Hayashi,Dr. Lindsey Richardson andDr. Shira Goldenberg (pictured left to right). The prestigious and competitive grants are each for $300,000 for research to be conducted over the course of five years. Read more here about the exciting and innovative grant projects, reflective of the broad range of BC-CfE research and investigation. Congrats to the awardees!
Among immigrants living in low- and middle-income settings, there can be enhanced HIV risks and additional barriers to treatment and care. Yet, in Canada, migration issues remain poorly understood among marginalized populations in relation to HIV and related infections. Dr. Shira Goldenberg, Research Scientist with the BC-CfE’s Gender and Sexual Health Initiative (GSHI), will analyze how migration patterns and experiences impact risk, prevention, and treatment of HIV, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) among marginalized women in Canada. Her research focuses on improving the health of migrant women in sex work and new immigrant/refugee women living with HIV. It aims to inform health services and policies promoting improved prevention, treatment and care. As a global health researcher, Goldenberg also undertakes comparative work involving marginalized migrant women internationally – including in Mexico, Central America and Uganda.
In Canada, social costs due to substance abuse are estimated to approach $40 billion annually, and the country is also experiencing a new epidemic of prescription opioid (PO) misuse. Dr. Kanna Hayashi, a Research Scientist with the BC-CfE’s Urban Health Research Initiative (UHRI), is taking an in-depth look at trends in substance use and addiction treatment utilization in Canada. Specifically, Dr. Hayashi’s research will build on her preceding work on illicit drug use, and aims to reduce health care costs while improving health outcomes for those with addictions. Dr. Hayashi’s research will address the impact of emerging PO misuse and users of multiple drugs, such as opioids with cocaine. It will also look at how PO misuse and concomitant crack cocaine use affect patterns of injection drug use and drug-related harm. Finally, her research will evaluate novel addiction treatment and structural interventions for users of multiple drugs.
Addressing the overall social and economic wellbeing of marginalized individuals has the potential to affect health and treatment outcomes. Dr. Lindsey Richardson, a Research Scientist with BC-CfE’s UHRI, will examine the health impacts of socio-economic vulnerability among people who use drugs and develop strategies to mitigate negative impacts. Her research has three streams. First, using data from ongoing prospective cohorts of people who use drug (both living with HIV and HIV-negative), the research will determine how socio-economic factors impact health outcomes. Secondly, Dr. Richardson’s research will include a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test whether altering the timing of social assistance distribution reduces harms associated with increased drug use and HIV risk behaviour on “cheque days.” She is also developing a similar study to look at how access to employment could reduce HIV risk behaviour and improve HIV treatment outcomes. Thirdly, Dr. Richardson is conducting a series of studies to identify factors affecting recruitment, retention and protocol adherence in RCT studies to maximize their effectiveness. Collectively, the research will produce robust evidence for strategies to improve socio-economic security and health outcomes for people who use drugs.