Lisha Di Gioacchino, MA
Knowledge Broker
Expertise:
Lisha’s areas of expertise include substance use disorder prevention, opioid use disorder treatment, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) surveillance, maternal and child health promotion, and living experience with substance use disorder.
Biography:
Lisha Di Gioacchino believes her research helps send a message that recovery is possible. Her passion for her work comes from personal experience with the cycle of intergenerational substance use.
Lisha is also passionate about using research that promotes women’s wellbeing, including the prevention of drug use during pregnancy. She served as co-investigator in developing a surveillance system for FASD and alcohol use during pregnancy. The system generates evidence to inform planning and implementation of early FASD detection, assessment and intervention.
Lisha, who originally joined CCSA in November 2013, has also held roles at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the University of Ottawa. She holds a BA in criminology and criminal justice from Carleton University and a master’s in criminology from the University of Ottawa. She has also earned a postgraduate diploma in victimology from the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik.
In her free time, Lisha volunteers with the Community Addictions Peer Support Association, helping people with substance use disorder access the support they need when seeking help without fear of stigma or discrimination.