Rebecca Haines-Saah

Biography

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary and I co-lead for the O’Brien Institute for Public Health’s, Population Health and Prevention Interest Group. Trained as a Health Sociologist, my research focuses on adolescent mental health and substance use through the lens of a critical public health approach that prioritizes harm reduction, social justice, and the lived experiences of persons that use drugs and/or live with mental illness. Since joining the University of Calgary as Faculty in early 2016, I have focused much of my research program on youth cannabis use and the public health policy implications of cannabis legalization in Canada. My current projects also include qualitative and policy-focused research on parent advocacy for drug policy reform in the context of Canada’s opioid crisis, and on youth policy engagement for mental health promotion.