Establishing a portrait of drug use for better action
Sarah Larney, who holds a PhD from the University of New South Wales, Australia, joined the CRCHUM in February 2020. You might be wondering what motivated her to cross the globe at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The answer: the prospect of improving the lives of people who use hard drugs as a researcher in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Université de Montréal.
The pandemic hit drug users hard, as they are often marginalized in society. In a study published in August 2024 in Drug and Alcohol Review, Sarah Larney and her colleagues, including physician and researcher Julie Bruneau, analyzed accidental deaths occurring between 2012 and 2021 that were reported by the coroner as being due to opioids or stimulants. Their findings showed that drug-related mortality rates have risen sharply in Quebec and Canada in recent years, peaking in 2020. This study also highlighted the increased presence of fentanyl and the new synthetic opioids among overdose cases recorded in Quebec since 2020.
Her work also aims to redefine the concept of overdose in Canada. “For example, talking about a “crisis” calls for quick reactions, whereas what we need instead are far-reaching reforms, such as destigmatization of drug users, reform of social policies and drug policies,” she explains.
Reducing infections and adapting interventions
The incidence of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections (STBBIs) is another focus of research in Larney's laboratory. For example, she and her team have published the results of a major study on sex and gender differences among people infected with hepatitis C who inject drugs. Among other things, she discusses access to treatment and exposure to risks, which are factors that need to be integrated into intervention strategies in order to achieve the WHO's goal of reducing the number of infections by a factor of 10 by 2030.
With the re-emergence of syphilis becoming a major public health issue, Larney also looks at the epidemiology of this STBBI among people who inject drugs. Since the latter are not among the groups for which screening is recommended, she is particularly keen to assess its prevalence and incidence in order to determine whether new recommendations are needed.
She is also collaborating with Dr. Valérie Martel-Laferrière, from the Department of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, on the creation of a cohort of women who use drugs in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada. This would be the first of its kind in Canada. Their goal is to gain a better understanding of the women’s needs in terms of sexual health, resilience and other factors, and to formulate recommendations for adapting interventions to them.
Larney’s expertise led her to co-organize the latest edition of the International Society for the Study of Drug Policy’s annual conference, in collaboration with her colleague David Décary-Hétu, Deputy Director of the International Centre for Comparative Criminology at Université de Montréal. The event took place at the CHUM from June 19 to 21, 2024, and brought together researchers, provincial and federal government representatives, and people from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
Serving the collective well-being
Larney is passionate about social justice and human well-being. She hopes her research will help policymakers reform current drug use regulations, based on the actual harmfulness of substances.
“Over the next year, I'll be continuing to work on the epidemiology and social aspects of overdoses in Quebec and Canada in an effort to reduce their number. With rising housing costs, increasing poverty and changes in the drug market—more fentanyl and more powerful substances—there’s a real need for increased funding and preventive support.”
Health innovation and evaluation hub research theme highlights
April 2024
Researcher Line Beaudet receives the 2024 Prix reconnaissance awarded by members of the Parkinson's disease and parkinsonian syndromes research group at Université de Montréal's Faculty of Medicine.
May 2024
The Fonds de recherche du Québec – Santé (FRQS) awards over $500,000 in grants to our researchers: Dr. Géraldine Layani, Dr. François Martin Carrier, Dr. Michaël Chassé and Dr. Madeleine Durand.
The organization also awards Dr. Jean-Charles Pasquier the status of “senior clinical researcher” in recognition of his outstanding career.
July 2024
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) awards a total of $1.7M in grants to Dr. Antoine Boivin and Ghislaine Rouly, Dr. Emmanuelle Duceppe, Vikki Ho, and Dr. Jean-Charles Pasquier.
August 2024
Researcher Vikki Ho receives a $200,000 grant from the Canadian Cancer Society.
October 2024
Researcher José Côté is inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Nursing.
December 2024
Dr. Marie-Pascale Pomey receives $200,000 from the Terry Fox Research Institute for a project designed by and for cancer patients.
February 2025
Dr. Nathalie Auger receives $447,524 in CIHR funding for a study on maternal mortality.
In the journal The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Adelina Artenie and her former colleagues from the University of Bristol characterize the extent and global distribution of hepatitis C for the first time.
Researcher Gabrielle Pagé receives the 2025 Early Career Award from the Canadian Pain Society.
March 2025
A study led by Srividya N. Iyer and Dr. Ashok Malla, in collaboration with CRCHUM researchers Dr. Amal Abdel Baki and Shalini Lal, and published in JAMA Psychiatry concludes that a new approach could enable young people to obtain mental health assistance more quickly.
This text is taken from our 2024-2025 Activity Report
Establishing a portrait of drug use for better action
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