Directory of Researchers
DTES RESEARCH
ACCESS PORTAL
Here are some academic researchers and students whose studies are connected to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). Here is some information about the DTES neighbourhood and its history.
Everyone in this directory has volunteered to share their contact information, and to provide more information about themselves and their work. We hope this page will highlight researchers with experience working in the DTES, make it easier for researchers and community members to connect with each other, and facilitate community-university collaborations.
If you have questions about contacting people listed in the directory, please email mrai.info@ubc.ca.
If you are an academic researcher or student and would like to join the directory, please email mrai.info@ubc.ca.
As this page is a new feature of the Research Access Portal we also welcome your ideas about how we can make it relevant to you and the people you work with; please email us your thoughts at mrai.info@ubc.ca.
Researchers are listed in alphabetical order by their last name.
Paxton Bach (He/Him/His)
Clinical Assistant Professor
HIV and AIDS, Substance Use, Housing and Homelessness
Medicine
University of British Columbia
Stimulants, methamphetamines, opioids, overdose, addictions
Modupeoluwa Bankole-Longe
Research Project Coordinator
Health and Wellbeing
Hogan's Alley Society
Skye Barbic
Associate Professor
Faculty of Medicine
Centre For Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHEOS)
University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus)
Sofia Bartlett (She/Her/Hers)
Senior Scientist
Substance Use, Youth and Young Adults, Health and Wellbeing, Housing and Homelessness, HIV and AIDS
Clinical Prevention Services
BC Centre for Disease Control
Jade Boyd (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Substance Use
Medicine
Division of Social Medicine / BC Centre on Substance Use
University of British Columbia
Gender; Social, Structural and Environmental Determinants of Health
Helen Brown (She/Her/Hers)
Associate Professor
Health and Wellbeing, Indigenous Peoples, Substance Use
Faculty of Applied Science
School of Nursing
University of British Columbia
Prison, Prison-health, Incarceration, Prison Justice, Justice, Transformative Health, Peer led, Community-Based, Participatory Research
Vicky Bungay (She/Her/Hers)
Professor, Director of Capacity Research Unit
Gender, Sexuality, and Identity, Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use
Faculty of Applied Science
School of Nursing
University of British Columbia
Francine Darroch
Assistant Professor at Carleton University; Affiliate Professor UBC School of Nursing
Department of Health Sciences, Carleton University; School of Nursing, University of British Columbia
Carleton University, University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus)
Kora DeBeck (She/Her/Hers)
Associate Professor
Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use, HIV and AIDS, Youth and Young Adults
School of Public Policy
Simon Fraser University, BC Centre on Substance Use
Epidemiology; Longitudinal cohort studies; Public policy analysis
Kathleen Deering (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Substance Use, Health and Wellbeing, Gender, Sexuality, and Identity, HIV and AIDS, Housing and Homelessness, Youth and Young Adults, Indigenous Peoples, Food Sovereignty and Security, Older People
Medicine
Center for Gender and Sexual Health Equity (CGSHE)
University of British Columbia
Women living with HIV, community-based research, cohort study
Danya Fast (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Health and Wellbeing, Early Childhood and Families, Housing and Homelessness, Labour, Income, and Social Services, Youth and Young Adults, Substance Use
Medicine
Medicine
University of British Columbia
Penelope Gurstein
Professor Emeritus
Faculty of Applied Science
School of Community and Regional Planning,
University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus)
Kanna Hayashi (She/Her/Hers)
Associate Professor
Health and Wellbeing, HIV and AIDS, Substance Use
Faculty of Health Science
Simon Fraser University, BC Centre on Substance Use
Human rights, health services, drug policy
Ehsan Jozaghi (He/Him/His)
Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry Candidate
Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use
Dentistry
Oral Health Sciences
University of British Columbia
Public health dentistry
Thomas Kerr
Professor
Faculty of Medicine
Department of Medicine
University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus)
Andrea Krüsi (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Medicine
Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity
University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus)
Research Interests: Criminalization and policing, sex work, community-based participatory research, qualitative and mixed methods research, incarceration experiences
Alysha Mcfadden (she/her)
PhD Candidate/Assistant Professor
Health and Wellbeing, Youth and Young Adults, Early Childhood and Families
School of Nursing/School of Nursing
School of Nursing/School of Nursing
University of British Columbia/Trinity Western University
anti-oppression; anti-racist; decolonizing
M-J Milloy (He/Him/His)
Assistant Professor
HIV and AIDS, Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use
Medicine
University of British Columbia
Jeffrey Morgan (He/Him/His)
PhD Student
Health and Wellbeing, Gender, Sexuality, and Identity, Substance Use, HIV and AIDS
Faculty of Medicine
School of Population and Public Health
BC Centre on Substance Use
Community-based research
Scott Neufeld (He/Him/His)
Lecturer, PhD Candidate
Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use, Indigenous Peoples, Housing and Homelessness, Media Representations
Faculty of Social Sciences at Brock University
Department of Psychology at Brock University
Brock University, Simon Fraser University
Stigma, Structural Stigma, Intersectionality, Racism, Classism, NIMBYism
Seonaid Nolan (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use
Medicine
Medicine
University of British Columbia
Bohdan Nosyk (He/Him/His)
Research Scientist at CHEOS; Associate Professor at SFU
HIV and AIDS, Substance Use
Health Economic Research Unit at CHEOS; Faculty of Health Sciences at SFU
Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences (CHEOS); Simon Fraser University (SFU)
Health Economics, Epidemiology, Math Modeling, Illicit Drug Use, HIV, Opioids, Opioid Agonist Treatment
Irwin Oostindie
Researcher
Arts, Culture, History and Heritage, Labour, Income, and Social Services, Public Spaces, Indigenous Peoples, Media Representations
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Department of Urban Studies
Simon Fraser University
social enterprise, social procurement, community economic development, reconciliation, redress, decolonization, urban Indigenous, Coast Salish
Lyana Patrick (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Indigenous Peoples, Health and Wellbeing, Public Spaces
Faculty of Health Sciences
Simon Fraser University
Chris Richardson (He/Him/His)
Research Associate / Scientist
Substance Use, Youth and Young Adults, Indigenous Peoples, Health and Wellbeing
Medicine
School of Population and Public Health / St. Paul's Hospital
University of British Columbia / Centre for Health Evaluation and Outcome Sciences
Incarcerated men, men’s health, mental health, trauma, resilience, health literacy, prison health, stigma, community-based participatory research, e-mental health
Lindsey Richardson (She/Her/Hers)
Associate Professor
Faculty of Arts
Department of Sociology
University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus)
Kate Salters
Research Scientist
Health Sciences
Epidemiology and Population Health
BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS; Simon Fraser University
Research areas: Epidemiology, STBBIs, Health services research
Amanda Slaunwhite (She/Her/Hers)
Senior Scientist, Adjunct Professor
Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use
Medicine
School of Population and Public Health
British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, University of British Columbia
Prison-Health, Transformative Health, Participatory Research, Peer-led Research, Community Based Research, Prison Justice, Transformative Justice, Incarceration
Jeanette Steinmann (she/her and they/them)
PhD Student
Health and Wellbeing, Housing and Homelessness, Labour, Income, and Social Services, Public Spaces
Faculty of Education
School of Kinesiology - Sociocultural
University of British Columbia
Lianping Ti (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Health and Wellbeing, Substance Use
Medicine
Medicine
University of British Columbia
Epidemiology; health services research; methodology; data science; artificial intelligence
Kelsey Timler (She/Her/Hers)
PhD Candidate & Research Manager
Labour, Income, and Social Services, Health and Wellbeing, Indigenous Peoples, Food Sovereignty and Security, Law and Legal Aid
Interdisciplinary Studies & Applied Science
Interdisciplinary Studies & School of Nursing
University of British Columbia
Participatory Action Research, Prison, Incarceration, Transformative Justice, Food Justice
Jenna van Draanen (She/Her/Hers)
Assistant Professor
Substance Use, Labour, Income, and Social Services
School of Public Health
Health Systems and Population Health
University of Washington, BC Centre on Substance Use