The UBC Department of Medicine is pleased to share news of the appointment of Dr. Nadia Fairbairn as the holder of the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation Philip Owen Professorship in Addiction Medicine
About the Philip Owen Professorship in Addiction Medicine
The professorship was established in honour of former Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen and his commitment to addiction research, education, and training. During his time in office (1993-2002), Owen led the implementation of the Four Pillars drug strategy, which represented 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. His approach changed the way the city addressed the challenges of addiction and his efforts helped lead to the establishment of Insite, North America’s first sanctioned safe injection site.
In honour of Philip Owen’s leadership and vision, through the St. Paul’s Foundation, friends and colleagues have established the Philip Owen Professorship in Addiction Medicine at UBC. 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.
(video courtesy of BCCSU)
“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.”
– Dick Vollet, President and CEO, St. Paul’s Foundation
About Dr. Nadia Fairbairn
In her new role, Dr. Fairbairn, a professor in UBC department of medicine’s division of social medicine and clinician-scientist at the BC Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU), 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.
Dr. Fairbairn 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.
As the holder of the Philip Owen Professorship in Addiction Medicine, Dr. Fairbairn will not only support the development of new innovative treatments for substance use and addiction, but will also work to attract additional resources including funding, researchers, clinicians, trainees and educators to the University and be a leader in advancing knowledge and practice in this area. With her clinical leadership experience in addiction medicine and strong background in treating substance use disorders in a community care setting, Dr. Fairbairn will no doubt uphold the Philip Owen Professorship in Addiction Medicine’s vision of compassionate public health service to the community.
“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.”
– Dr. Nadia Fairbairn, Philip Owen Professor in Addiction Medicine
The professorship 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 UBC, the B.C. government, and BCCSU.
Support the Philip Owen Professorship in Addiction Medicine at UBC: 