Eddie Goldenberg Research Chair of Canada in Equity-Oriented Responses to the Drug Toxicity and Housing Crises

Government of Canada priority area: Health, including biotechnology.

The research program will address two interconnected public health challenges: the drug toxicity crisis and housing insecurity. Canada continues to experience high rates of overdose and preventable deaths, driven in part by an increasingly toxic and unpredictable drug supply, including fentanyl. These harms are compounded by limited access to substance use services, overdose prevention, health care, and stable housing. Indigenous Peoples and other communities facing systemic inequities are disproportionately affected.

There are three main objectives. First, it will examine how substance use and housing instability interact to increase overdose risk and other health and social harms. It will also assess how policies, health systems, and community programs are responding to these challenges and identify opportunities for improvement. Second, the program will build partnerships with people with lived and living experience, community organizations, Indigenous communities, health systems, and other partners in Canada and internationally. Third, the program will translate research findings and community knowledge into effective policies, programs, and practices. The goal is to develop practical and scalable solutions that can be adapted to the needs of different communities. This work will help strengthen responses to drug toxicity, substance use, and housing vulnerability.

The program will be grounded in community engagement, equity, lived experience, and Indigenous leadership. Research projects will use mixed-methods and qualitative approaches and will be conducted locally, nationally, and internationally. 

By connecting research with community expertise and policy development, the program will support more effective and culturally safe approaches to reducing drug-related and housing-related harms. It will also strengthen Canada’s leadership in responding to emerging challenges such as the global spread of fentanyl and ultimately improve health and well-being for vulnerable people and communities.

Dr. Ryan McNeil is an international leader in community-engaged research focused on the intersection of substance use, homelessness, and health equity. His research has examined how housing vulnerability, social and structural conditions, and the toxic drug supply interact to shape overdose risk and access to health services. His work has helped advance evidence-based responses to overdose prevention, substance use treatment, housing insecurity, and health inequities across Canada and the United States.

McNeil has established a highly influential research program, with more than 130 peer-reviewed publications, including more than 80 as a lead or senior author. His scholarship has appeared in leading journals such as the American Journal of Public Health, BMJ, CMAJ, Addiction, and Social Science & Medicine. He has conducted foundational research on naloxone, drug checking, supervised consumption services, low-threshold treatment, and prescribed safer supply, with a particular focus on how these interventions work in real-world settings. His research has also documented major changes in the unregulated drug supply, including the transition to fentanyl, increasing polysubstance use, and the emergence of new adulterants and associated harms.

His research partnerships span more than 25 countries and include public health and hospital systems, community organizations, housing and substance use agencies, policy groups, and organizations led by people with lived and living experience. He has provided expertise to governments and health systems on issues including overdose prevention, supervised consumption, opioid agonist treatment, drug checking, safer supply, and housing-focused responses to overdose.

McNeil is also recognized for his leadership in community-driven knowledge mobilization. He is the co-creator and host of Crackdown, an award-winning podcast that brings together people with lived and living experience, researchers, and journalists to examine the toxic drug crisis and challenge stigma. 

Together, McNeil’s research, policy leadership, international collaborations, and innovative public engagement have established him as a prominent global authority on drug toxicity, harm reduction, homelessness, and health equity.