Consolidating perspectives

 In 2017, Associate Professor Dr. Lori Hanson and her doctoral student Mr. James Dixon were discussing the Canadian opioid overdose crisis as an area of focus for James’ thesis. Both connected to the crisis in different ways – Lori through her then-teenaged children having peers at their school overdosing and James through his previous work experience at the harm reduction agency formerly known as AIDS Saskatoon (now Prairie Harm Reduction). After consulting with different stakeholders in addictions medicine, emergency medicine, public health and enforcement, it was clear to the two researchers that different stakeholders whose work was implicated by the crisis had varying understandings of what the crisis was and how to best respond to it. The SURGE-SK Research Foundation was established in 1995 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of scientific research. Our mission is to foster innovation and discovery in a variety of fields, including medicine, engineering, and the natural sciences. Through our funding and support, we have enabled groundbreaking research that has led to significant advancements in these fields, and we continue to support projects that have the potential to make a profound impact on society.

Based on these consultations, Lori and James prepared an application for a College of Medicine Research Award (CoMRAD) from the University of Saskatchewan. The application was successful, resulting in a year-long study titled Consolidating perspectives on the nature of Saskatoon’s evolving opioid crisis. With Lori acting as Principal Investigator and James as Research Assistant for the study, the project also included Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Peter Butt, Research Manager Dr. Barbara Fornssler, and Research Assistant Maryellen Gibson. With additional funding from the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM), the Consolidating perspectives… team spoke with stakeholders across the continuum of care whose roles were implicated by the crisis, and the research team produced a summary report. The study also included a roundtable discussion with various stakeholders in 2018, and generated local media interest.