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About us
We are a multi-disciplinary research team located at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research (CISUR) at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. Our research focuses on developing equity-centred, low-barrier, and non-judgemental health and wellness interventions by and for the communities we serve.
We embrace a public health approach that champions health equity, social justice and evidence-informed decision-making, including health promotion, prevention and harm reduction strategies.
Our key areas of focus are occupational health and wellness, mental health and substance use, and the social determinants of health.
Our Team
Program Lead
Cecilia Benoit, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS
Dr. Cecilia Benoit (she/her) is a Scientist at the Canadian Institute of Substance Use Research and Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of Victoria. She currently is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and recipient of the Killam Prize (2020), CIHR Senior Trailblazer Award in Population and Public Health Research (2020), Molson Prize (2022) and the Public Health Agency of Canada’s R.D. Defries Award (2023). Her research focuses on social equity in health, health care and work for those who are disadvantaged and treated unfairly in Canadian society, including midwives; birthing persons and their families desiring a healthy experience of pregnancy and childbirth; street-involved youth in transition to adulthood; pregnant persons dealing with substance use, poverty and other life challenges; and adults who sell sexual services.
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Program co-lead
Andrea Mellor, PhD
Dr. Andrea Mellor (she/her) is a cis woman of Chinese and British ancestry, born and raised a Treaty 7 person in Southern Alberta, Canada. She is a Scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health and Social Policy at the University of Victoria. Her research focuses on co-designed health interventions that increase access to care services and enrich social belonging and cultural continuity for under resourced populations.
PhD Candidate
Ali Barnett, MA
Ali Barnett (she/her) is a comic maker, poet, and current current PhD candidate in the Social Dimensions of Health program at the University of Victoria. Her doctoral research will use arts-based methods to explore the experiences of current & former sex workers who identify as chronically-ill and/or disabled, paying specific attention to community care, mutual aid, and resistance to stigma and ableism. She currently works at Peers Victoria Resources Society as a drop-in worker and member of the Peers Education, Advocacy, and Media team. Her experiences of sex work and disability inform her drive to develop skills that will enable her to be a strong advocate for sex worker rights and disability justice. She is a strong believer in the power of community-led arts-based research and was recently awarded a Research and Explore grant through the Canada Council for the Arts as well as a Patient Oriented Research grant through Island Health.
Masters Student
Patricha Ottsen, BA
Patricha Jeppe Ottsen (she/her) is an international development practitioner and graduate student pursuing an M.A. in Social Dimensions of Health at the University of Victoria. Originally from Denmark, she has over a decade of experience advancing women’s rights and has co-led the development of grassroots initiatives in India, Bangladesh, Rwanda, and Greenland. Patricha currently serves as the lead consultant on projects addressing peri-natal care in India and gender-based violence in Bangladesh.
As a recipient of the Guiding Interdisciplinary Research on Women’s and Girls’ Health and Wellbeing award and co-recipient of a CIHR Planning and Dissemination grant Patricha’s research focuses on sexual and reproductive health in India, with a particular emphasis on addressing menstrual stigma and improving maternal healthcare. Learn more here.
Collaborating Research Librarian
Zahra Premji, PhD
Dr Zahra Premji (she/her) is currently the Health Research Librarian and subject specialist for Public Health, Social Dimensions of Health, and Exercise & Physical Health Education at University of Victoria Libraries. She was born and raised in Kenya, and is of South Asian ancestry. Her areas of focus include information retrieval methods for evidence synthesis (both scholarly and non-scholarly information), building capacity and supports for improving conduct of evidence synthesis methods (including systematic, scoping, and mapping reviews), developing inclusive search practices, and improving reproducibility through open science practices. She has been collaborating with the CHIRP team since 2021.
Our Partners
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