By: Kirsten Millar
Meet Dr. Mark Asbridge, Professor and Interim Department Head for the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University.
Can you tell us a little bit about your field of research?
My primary field of research is around the intersection of substance use and injury prevention, particularly in young people. I also do public policy analysis, policy evaluation and effectiveness research.
I have done a lot of work on impaired driving. My research was initially focused on alcohol impaired driving, but in the last 15 years, my research has shifted to include drug impaired driving with a more serious focus on cannabis. In particular, the impacts of cannabis legalization on a range of outcomes, including injury, hospitalization and mortality.
My research touches on a range of other issues as well. I have done a lot of work in mental health and I helped to write the Nova Scotia Mental Health Strategy a number of years ago.
What led you to this field/inspired you to do this work?
I was finishing off my PhD at the University of Toronto around 25 years ago and I met a few researchers from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health. They had a postdoctoral fellowship that they encouraged me to take. There, I had the chance to work with leading researchers in alcohol policy and contributed to a large project of theirs. I continued in this field and moved to Nova Scotia in 2003 where I was recruited to work on impaired driving and addictions research, and I’ve been here ever since.
How does your research translate into healthcare solutions for the patient/public?
My research is aimed at preventing people from ever showing up in the hospital or emergency department in the first place. It’s about prevention and overall improvement of population health. I try to understand the interventions and policies that we have in place and how effective they are at reducing the likelihood or the chance that you are going to be requiring care in the first place.
For example, my impaired driving research helps to inform policy and determine the most effective approaches for reducing the burden of crashes and injuries. We measure the threshold of cannabis impairment that can best prevent injuries and establish the cut-off points for legal enforcement to be used by police and the justice system.
Why is research and participation in research important?
Research is our pathway to the answers to important questions. We need people to participate in research to help us to answer those questions. Participation in research is the lifeblood of research.
People participate in research in various ways. Some are active participants by choosing to be involved in research studies. But even patients within the hospital system end up being participants in research when we evaluate health data, and we use that information to improve patient outcomes and patient care. Active and passive participation in research is essential to improving the overall health and wellbeing of Canadians.
What does the ideal future in your field of research look like to you?
Prior to legalization, cannabis use was harder to study. Legalization opened up the ability to do more realistic and accurate research, and we have been able to explore the topic in a great deal more depth. Moving forward, we need to remain nimble because the drug landscape changes rapidly. We need to be able to pivot at look at new drug trends when they emerge.
