Emily Biggar, MPH
Research and Policy Analyst
Expertise:
Emily’s areas of expertise include public health and the social determinants of health, harm reduction and the costs of substance use.
Biography:
Emily Biggar feels substance use is a public health issue that can affect all facets of life. She likes the challenge of examining substance use in terms of the conditions we are born into, live, work and play.
Emily holds a Bachelor of Health Studies from the University of Manitoba and a Master of Public Health from the University of British Columbia. She used her Master’s degree practicum placement to serve as a graduate student research assistant at CCSA. During her placement, she worked on the Canadian Substance Use Costs and Harms project. After finishing her Master’s degree, she joined CCSA in her current role in January 2020.
Emily is proudest of working with communities across Canada to launch a pilot illicit drug content monitoring system. The system provides harm reduction organizations knowledge about emerging local drug trends and required harm reduction needs. It also draws a picture of cross-jurisdictional trends at the national level.
Emily was born and raised in what she calls “the coldest place on Earth” (Winnipeg). Perhaps not surprisingly, she enjoys being outdoors engaged in winter activities.