BC Co/Lab

Funding body
Health Canada (Substance Use and Addictions Program)
Duration of support
2019-2024
For more details, visit the official Co/Lab website.
The Collaborative Community Laboratory on Substance Use and Harm Reduction (Co/Lab) is a collaborative network for research and knowledge exchange to promote health and health equity for people who use drugs (including alcohol, other licit, and illicit drugs). Co/Lab activities are guided by collaborations with people who use drugs, families, health care providers, researchers and policy makers, and are focused on generating practical evidence that can be used to enhance substance use services and supporting policies.
For more information, contact: Dr. Bernadette Pauly or Dr. Karen Urbanoski at cisur@uvic.ca
Progress to date
We have developed a draft framework for equity oriented surveillance monitoring. It has been reviewed by community partners to enhance relevance and applicability, and findings are now being incorporated into the final framework. We have identified key indicators and begun the process of data requests for development of community reports. A key aspect of work has been the production of methodological and research bulletins as well as practice briefs and the initiation of a Community of Practice partners interested in surveillance monitoring and have hosted webinars and roundtables on this topic as well as profiling community programs and responses to substance use in a variety of settings and for a range of population groups.
For a full list of Co/Lab publications and outputs, view the Co/Lab resources page.
Researchers
- Dr. Bernie Pauly (Co-PI)
- Dr. Karen Urbanoski (Co-PI)
- Dr. Tim Stockwell (Co-PI)
- Dan Reist
- Dr. Bruce Wallace
- Dr. Sana Shahram
- Dr. Nathan Lachowsky
- Dr. Adam Sherk
- Dr. Jane Buxton
- Connie Carter (Research manager)
- Thea van Roode
- The project team includes partners from BC/Yukon Association of Drug War Survivors (BCYADWS), SOLID Outreach Society, Rural Empowered Drug Users Network (REDUN), Island Crisis Care Society, AVI Health and Community Services, AIDS Network Kootenay Outreach and Support Society, Interior Health Authority, Island Health, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Ministry of Health, BC Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, Overdose Emergency Response Centre, National Collaborating Centre for Determinants of Health, Public Health Agency of Canada, Canadian Community Epidemiology Network on Drug Use, and Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.