Andy Longhurst- MA/PhD Geography

Andy Longhurst is a Researcher & Policy Analyst with the Health Sciences Association of BC, a union that represents over 18,000 health and social care professionals working in over 250 hospitals and organizations in acute care, primary and community care, child development centres, and women's transition houses. In this role, Andy develops and leads research and policy projects that support the union's diverse membership and advance policy solutions that strengthen the public health care system. Prior to joining the Health Sciences Association, Andy worked in a research and policy role at the Hospital Employees' Union.

He is also a Research Associate with the BC Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA-BC) and serves on the Centre's Research Advisory Committee.The SFU Geography MA program provided Andy with a critical set of research and analytical skills that have supported his career in public-interest health and social policy research.

In his work with the Health Sciences Association and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Andy has had the opportunity to publish original research that has shaped public debate and policy implementation in BC. He has written on a variety of health and labour policy topics, including primary and community care, improving timely access to surgical and diagnostic services, health care privatization, workforce development, and precarious work.

Andy completed a BA (Hons) in Geography from the University of British Columbia in 2013, and received a Master of Arts in Geography from Simon Fraser University in 2015. Under the supervision of Dr. Eugene McCann, Andy's MA research focused on the political, institutional, and spatial dimensions of public policy change, specifically the barriers to life-saving and life-enhancing harm reduction policies and services in suburban metro Vancouver. In 2019, Andy returned to the SFU Geography Department to pursue a PhD.

Email: andrew_longhurst@sfu.ca