The latest

Welcome our new staff, Nicole!

Nicole Gehring is a Research Assistant at the CDPE and a PhD student in Health Systems Research at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto. She has over a decade of experience in applied health research, including leading multi-methods and community-based studies on illegal drug policy, patient-centred care for people who use drugs (PWUD), and supervised consumption services (SCS). She is particularly interested in how structural vulnerability, including intersecting power hierarchies and policy contexts, influences PWUD’s health and wellbeing. Her thesis will evaluate how recent drug policy shifts in Toronto, including the closure of SCS and the introduction of Homeless and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) hubs, affect drug poisonings and other harms among PWUD. Nicole holds a BSc from the University of British Columbia and an MSc in Health Policy Research from the University of Alberta School of Public Health.

Welcome our new staff, Nicole!

The Centre on Drug Policy Evaluation (CDPE)

The CDPE is dedicated to supporting people who use drugs and their communities be healthier and safer. We do this by generating scientific evidence and sharing knowledge on the most effective policies, programs and practices to minimize the risks of drug use and maximize its benefits.

Meet our team

Community Engagement

The CSC aims to engage and elevate the voices of individuals with lived and/or living experience of drug use to guide effective, evidence-based policy responses to substance use in Canada.

Community Steering Committee

CDPE Featured Projects