I am a senior health economist in the Health Economic Research Unit and a PhD student at the Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University. My research has been focused on evaluation in HIV/AIDS and substance use disorder. I have expertise specializing in applied econometrics using administrative data and model-based health economic evaluation.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

I have chosen to pursue my PhD at SFU to benefit from the outstanding research environment provided by the Faculty of Health Sciences and from SFU’s advanced courses in population health and data sciences, which fit my multidisciplinary training goals. My doctoral studies are supervised by Dr. Bohdan Nosyk, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences who leads the Health Economic Research Unit in which I work.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH OR YOUR PROGRAM TO A FAMILY MEMBER?

The overdose public health emergency across North America has been amplified by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has also been increasing the risk of mental health problems. Most drug poisoning deaths involve fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. In British Columbia, three out of four people with an opioid use disorder also have a mental illness. Many may receive medications to help with both their opioid use disorder and mental illness. My doctoral research aims to help physicians improve medical care for people with opioid use disorder with concurrent mental disorders.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

My first semester of doctoral studies just ended and I enjoyed learning (over Zoom) about the diversity of research areas other first year graduate students in the Faculty of Health Sciences are pursuing.

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR-FUNDED AWARDS? IF SO, PLEASE TELL US WHICH ONES AND A LITTLE ABOUT HOW THE AWARDS HAVE IMPACTED YOUR STUDIES AND/OR RESEARCH.

I was recently awarded a Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships Doctoral Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to support my doctoral studies. I was previously awarded a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Master's Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council while I completed my MA in the Department of Economics at SFU.

Contact Emanuel: eka21@sfu.ca