Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes awarded a CIHR New Investigator Award

Congratulations to Dr. Eugenia Oviedo-Joekes who has been awarded a CIHR New Investigator Award.

Dr. Oviedo-Joekes’s program, entitled “Innovation in Addiction Treatment (IAT) Research Program” will be funded for five years.

Her program of research will focus on addiction treatment assisting injection-drug users who are extremely susceptible to drug-related health risks, including HIV, hepatitis C, and overdose. Although treatments for drug addiction are available, they are not always effective for those with the most severe cases of addiction, as many members of this vulnerable population exist outside of the health care system. As a result, injection-drug users continue to place themselves, and those in their immediate community, at risk of drug-related health risks.

The Innovation in Addiction Treatment (IAT) research program will focus on studying alternative drug addiction treatments that can be used to reach vulnerable populations existing outside of the health care system. It will build on research studies from Europe and Canada that show that medically prescribed heroin can effectively attract and retain injection-drug users into the health care system and can ultimately improve the health of this vulnerable population.

The program will pay special attention to sub-populations of women and Aboriginal people who have experienced high rates of victimization, including physical and sexual abuse, or violent or traumatic experiences which dramatically impact their health.

Congratulations, Eugenia.