Elaine Hyshka, BA, MA, PhD

About

Research

I am currently appointed as an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Health Systems Innovation at the University of Alberta's School of Public Health. My research spans both health services and systems and population health pillars, and focuses on advancing a public health approach to substance use. My program leverages my interdisciplinary background and diverse methodological experience to generate new knowledge that advances health systems innovation and improves health outcomes. My research team has a core engaged scholarship orientation and our work is conducted from start to finish in partnership with people with lived experience of substance use, poverty, and homelessness; healthcare providers; health authorities; civil society organizations; and governments at all levels. Our work has three complementary foci:

1. Evaluating health systems innovations designed to reduce substance use morbidity and mortality
2. Understanding determinants of public health policy change, and critically analyzing substance use policy
3. Supporting the spread of evidence-informed health systems innovations addressing substance use

Degrees and Experience

Prior to commencing my faculty position, I completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health Sciences and a CIHR-funded studentship in health services and policy research (University of Alberta). I also hold a Master of Arts in Sociology and Certificate in Addiction Studies (University of Toronto) and have previously worked in research and policy development for municipal and federal governments, and within the health system.

Awards and Service

My research and public health leadership have been recognized by multiple awards, including a Killam Accelerator Award (2024) from the Killam Trusts, a Trailblazer Award (2020) from CIHR's Institute of Population and Public Health, Harm Reduction International’s Brooklyn McNeil Rae of Hope Award (2017), among others. I served as Co-Chair of Health Canada's Expert Advisory Group on Safer Supply between 2019 and 2023 and Co-Chair of the Alberta Minister of Health's Opioid Emergency Response Commission between 2017 and 2019. I am currently Co-Chair of the Institute Advisory Board for CIHR's Institute of Population and Public Health. 

Supervison

I am currently accepting PhD students and MSc students whose interests closely align with my research program. If you are looking for a graduate supervisor in the School of Public Health, please review my publications and email me a short outline of your proposed research topic and a copy of your current CV. More information about my current research is also available here and here.

SPH 320 - Substance Use and Health

This course takes an in-depth look at the relationship between substance use and health, examining it through multiple lenses - neurobiological, medical, sociocultural, epidemiological, and political economy. We'll dissect how substances interact with the body and brain, explore the biological underpinnings of dependence, and analyze sociocultural, political, and economic factors that influence substance use patterns and health outcomes. You'll critically evaluate various prevention, treatment, and harm reduction strategies and policy debates, gaining a comprehensive understanding of this complex public health challenge across individual and population levels. Get ready to connect the dots between molecules and movements, biology and behaviour, and individual experiences and societal impact.

---

Browse more courses taught by Elaine Hyshka

R. Marcus Hammond, Ginetta Salvalaggio, Candace I. J. Nykiforuk, Elaine Hyshka

Journal of Urban Health. 2026 August; 10.1007/s11524-026-01094-y

---

Javiera Navarrete, Emily Berg, Christine Hughes, Essi Salokangas, Marliss Taylor, Janice Y Kung, Jeffrey A Johnson, Elaine Hyshka

BMJ Open. 2026 March; 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-110929

---

Nyal Mirza, Holly Mathias, Elaine Hyshka

Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2025 August; 10.17269/s41997-025-01057-x

---

Hannah L. Brooks, Kelsey A. Speed, Kathryn Dong, Ginetta Salvalaggio, Bernadette (Bernie) Pauly, Marliss Taylor, Elaine Hyshka

PLOS ONE. 2024 February; 10.1371/journal.pone.0297584

---

Lexis R. Galarneau, Kelsey Speed, Marliss Taylor, Elaine Hyshka

Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2023 October; 10.17269/s41997-023-00803-3

---

Heather Morris, Hauwa Bwala, Jared Wesley, Elaine Hyshka

Canadian Journal of Public Health. 2023 June; 10.17269/s41997-022-00736-3

---

Hannah L. Brooks, Ginetta Salvalaggio, Bernadette Pauly, Kathryn Dong, Tania Bubela, Marliss Taylor, Elaine Hyshka

Harm Reduction Journal. 2022 December; 10.1186/s12954-022-00637-1

---

Kelsey A. Speed, Nicole D. Gehring, Katherine Launier, Daniel O’Brien, Sandy Campbell, Elaine Hyshka

Harm Reduction Journal. 2020 December; 10.1186/s12954-020-00414-y

---

Elaine Hyshka, Heather Morris, Jalene Anderson-Baron, Lara Nixon, Kathryn Dong, Ginetta Salvalaggio

Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2019 November; 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2019.06.025

---

Elaine Hyshka, Jalene Anderson-Baron, Arlanna Pugh, Lynne Belle-Isle, Andrew Hathaway, Bernadette Pauly, Carol Strike, Mark Asbridge, Colleen Dell, Keely McBride, Kenneth Tupper, T. Cameron Wild

International Journal of Drug Policy. 2019 September; 10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.12.014

---

Elaine Hyshka, Jalene Anderson-Baron, Kamagaju Karekezi, Lynne Belle-Isle, Richard Elliott, Bernie Pauly, Carol Strike, Mark Asbridge, Colleen Dell, Keely McBride, Andrew Hathaway, T. Cameron Wild

Harm Reduction Journal. 2017 December; 10.1186/s12954-017-0177-7

---

Elaine Hyshka, Kamagaju Karekezi, Benjamin Tan, Linda G. Slater, Jesse Jahrig, T. Cameron Wild

BMC Health Services Research. 2017 December; 10.1186/s12913-017-2153-z

---

View additional publications