Gerard Bury
Visiting Professorship: James M. Flaherty
Brief Description of Work: In 2014, almost twice as many people died in Ireland from drug overdoses (354), as died in road accidents (196); most (249) died from the effects of opiates (heroin, methadone and others). Health Canada describes deaths due to opiates in Canada as a ‘national public health crisis’. I have had a long clinical, research and advocacy experience with drugs misuse in Dublin. I propose to visit UBC to learn how Canada is focusing on overdose education and prevention to address its opiate crisis, to share experience on Ireland’s experience of opiate misuse and to examine future learning opportunities in both directions.
Home University: University College Dublin
Institution to Visit: British Columbia Centre on Substance Use, UBC & a visit to Sunnybrook Centre for Prehospital Medicine