Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

People who use drugs, also known as 'peers', are more likely to experience poor health outcomes and die prematurely, negatively impacting individuals, families and society as a whole. Harm reduction programs are internationally accepted as effective for reducing harms and health disparities associated with drug use. However, there are disparities in the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and utilization of harm reduction programs across Canada. Peer engagement in harm reduction can reduce these inequities by making the program and services relevant and responsive to the communities needs, by removing barriers such as stigma and updating harm reduction services. The objective of my research is to engage peers as partners, establish best practice guidelines for peer engagement, and enhance peer networks across geography and setting. This project will investigate how to effectively engage, partner and involve peers in harm reduction services across British Columbia (BC). Data from focus groups, interviews, and questionnaires collected in all five regional health authorities will be utilized. The knowledge gained by running a province-wide research project with peers across urban and rural/remote communities, and novel research methodologies such as a spatial network analysis will be useful for promoting effective peer engagement, supporting critical junctures in peer networks across regions, and ensuring the quality, equity, and sustainability of peer engagement in BC. The results of this study may help other government and non-government institutions nationally and internationally to engage with peers or marginalized groups in Canada.