Professorship to advance addiction medicine in BC announced in honour of Philip Owen’s legacy

published on January 15, 2021

Closing the evidence-to-practice gap to strengthen the addiction treatment system in BC so patients can get the care they need will be the focus of Dr. Nadia Fairbairn, the inaugural Philip Owen Professor in Addiction Medicine at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

The Professorship is named after former Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen, who was in office from 1993 to 2002 and led the implementation of the Four Pillars drug strategy during the peak of the HIV epidemic and overdose crisis in the 1990s. The professorship is the first of its kind in Canada, and is made possible by donors who believe in the need to continue Owen’s legacy of leadership, courage, and innovation in the area of substance use and addiction.

Donors include the Rix Family Foundation; Timothy C. Kerr Family Foundation; John C. Kerr Family Foundation; Peter Bull; the Conrad & Dorli Pinette Fund, held at Vancouver Foundation; and Vivian Trethewey. Their gifts through St. Paul’s Foundation have been matched by investments from the Province of BC, BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU), and UBC.

The newly established professorship reflects Owen’s commitment to addiction research, education, and training, which continue to be urgently needed today. Enhanced healthcare provider training in addiction medicine will have widespread impacts, which will lift tremendous burden from the health, criminal justice and social systems currently managing the impacts of untreated addiction. Improved training will contribute to a health system that better serves patients and encourages people who need and want care to seek it, encouraging engagement and retention in the continuum of care from harm reduction to treatment to recovery.

In her new role, Dr. Fairbairn will lead a program of research and education in addiction medicine, to close the evidence-to-practice gap in the addiction system of care and improve the outcomes for British Columbians with substance use disorders.

The establishment and naming of the professorship represents a commitment from donors, government, healthcare, and research to the Four Pillars strategy. The strategy was a tectonic shift from treating substance use as a criminal justice issue towards a public health approach, with an equal focus on harm reduction, prevention, treatment, and enforcement. At the time, it was met with controversy, however, through Owen’s efforts to build a broad coalition of support, it has since become a cornerstone in the approach to substance use.

Owen’s support led to the establishment of Insite, North America’s first sanctioned safe injection site. Research from scientists at the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) has shown that Insite significantly decreased infectious disease transmission and overdose risk. Despite the public backlash at the time – before the Supreme Court of Canada ruled unanimously to keep it open – there are now more than two dozen supervised consumption sites across Canada supporting thousands of people who use substances.

Owen’s leadership in substance use was driven by the urgency of Vancouver’s HIV epidemic and overdose crisis. Collaborating with community leaders, including Dean Wilson and the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), local businesses and service providers, and researchers and policy experts, helped shape Owen’s approach.

A similar approach will be taken by Dr. Fairbairn. She is a practicing internal physician specialist in addiction medicine and Physician Lead of the Addiction Medicine Consult Team at St. Paul’s Hospital; a Clinician Scientist at the BCCSU; and an Internal Medicine Fellow and Assistant Professor in the UBC Division of Social Medicine. She is also the Director of the International Collaborate Addiction Medicine Research Fellowship Program at the BCCSU, the largest addiction fellowship program in North America. Dr. Fairbairn led the recent development of the first national guidelines for injectable opioid agonist treatments (iOAT), which was written in collaboration with clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience in substance use from across the country in order to improve the treatment and care of people with severe opioid use disorder.

Quotes:

Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions

“Dr. Fairbairn brings a wealth of experience to this position and she will continue helping thousands of people in B.C. who are living with addictions. Our government is proud to contribute funding for this position as we keep building a comprehensive system of evidence-based mental health and addictions care. Dr. Fairbairn’s innovative work is needed now more than ever. Together, we’re working to save lives and connect people to the supportive care they need to shape a healthier more hopeful future.”

Dr. Nadia Fairbairn, Philip Owen Professor in Addiction Medicine

“I’m honoured to be the inaugural holder of the Philip Owen Professorship in Addiction Medicine, and grateful to the community of donors whose generosity has made this possible. Through this professorship, I hope to carry on the legacy of Mayor Owen — to advance the field of substance use and addiction medicine, close the evidence-to-practice gap, and ensure that patients can get the treatment and care they need and deserve.”

Dermot Kelleher, Dean, UBC Faculty of Medicine, and Vice-President, Health, UBC

“We can’t lose sight of the other public health emergency affecting families in every corner of British Columbia. The Philip Owen Professorship in Addiction Medicine at UBC will further our commitment to research and training in addiction medicine to help save lives.”

Dick Vollet, President and CEO, St. Paul’s Foundation

“It’s a real honour to support this professorship recognizing Mayor Owen’s vision and his dedication to overcoming the opioid crisis. We are especially grateful to our lead donors, who inspired other donors in our community to support this critical, ongoing work.”

Chris Owen, Philip Owen’s son and lead Professorship donor

“My father walked the streets of the Downtown Eastside in the mid-90s and realized – for the outright suffering he witnessed – that the problem that had been dealt with by government as a criminal issue was really a health care issue. Doing nothing as a community leader was not acceptable at that time; just as it isn’t now. Unfortunately, not much has changed legislatively since then. This professorship will help create much-needed change through the medical system, as we appreciate the evidence-backed method to deal with this ongoing problem in our society that has only gotten worse through the years. We see this as a positive step, the first of many needed.”

Dean Wilson, Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) and BCCSU Peer Engagement Lead

“More than two decades ago, in the middle of public health crisis, we fought for change to save the lives of people who use drugs. In Philip Owen, we found someone who was not only willing to listen, but to act. He showed courage and a willingness to listen to the advice of experts — people with lived experience, scientists, and doctors. Today the need to follow his example is greater than ever. I see this professorship, and Dr. Fairbairn, carrying on Mayor Owen’s legacy in order to create change that will transform the lives of people who use drugs.”