Board of Directors
Co-Chair
Azra Panjwani (she/her)
Azra is an MSc student at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. Her research focuses on how covid-19 impacted supervised consumption site operations. She is also co-chair of CSSDP’s Edmonton chapter. In her time off, Azra is bouldering, crafting, and working her way through a never-ending list of restaurants to try in Edmonton.
Co-Chair
Thea Sheridan-Jonah (she/her)
Thea is a student at the University of British Columbia studying Political Science and First Nations and Indigenous Studies. Thea has been on the board of CSSDP for about 5 years first as a general member, then the treasurer and has served as chair or co-chair for the past 3 years. Thea is also part of the Vancouver chapter and has served as president or co-president for the past four years. Thea is an organizer in so called Vancouver working in broad collectives for justice and abolition for and beyond drug user liberation. Thea also serves on the board of the Pivot Legal Society and a founding member of the Devil’s Club Medic Collective.
Personnel Liaison
Dani Beyene (they/them)
Dani is a fourth year Psychology student at the University of British Columbia, and the founder of Mutual Aid Social Therapy “Vancouver” chapter as a means of abolitionist and disability justice praxis. They have served as Vice President External for CSSDP’s Vancouver chapter and are a founding member of Devil’s Club Medics Collective. Their interest in harm reduction work is informed by their experiences as a multi-disciplinary artist under the title DANI YOUR DARLING, amidst the Black renaissance in nightlife spaces situated in the DTES, and what once was Hogans Alley—so-called Vancouver’s vibrant Black community before the municipality’s efforts of systematic displacement—that they frequent as a performer, event curator, and audience member of the music scene.
International Liaison
Bethany Piggott (She/Her)
Bethany is a first year Psychiatric Nursing student at Grant MacEwan University. She finds fulfillment in harm reduction work within the inner city as a crisis diversion worker, outreach worker and housing support worker. She enjoys volunteering her time at music festivals at their medical and festival health tents. She also works in research with PWUD. Bethany loves playing rugby and has a cat named Dave.
Co-Treasurer
Merrin Monteith (she/her)
Merrin is an MSc at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. Her thesis work focuses on patterns and predictors of recent drug treatment engagement among People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) who are also facing homelessness. She is also a member of the CSSDP Edmonton Chapter. In her free time, Merrin enjoys baking, crocheting, playing intramural sports and hanging out with her friends and dog.
Secretary
Emily Berg (she/her)
Emily is a PhD student at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. Her research is centred around the ethics and outcomes of providing harm reduction care in acute-care settings. She is also the Vice-Chair for CSSDP Edmonton Chapter. In her spare time, Emily enjoys playing too many sports, reading, traveling to the lake and spending quality time with her family and dogs.
Co-Treasurer
Catherine Dobler (She/Her)
Catherine is a PharmD student at the University of Alberta who has a passion for harm reduction and public health education initiatives. She is currently working as a research assistant and as a health educator with senior communities, as well as was one of the VP’s of the FentaNIL Project at the University of Alberta where she led naloxone training. In her spare time, Catherine enjoys camping, hiking, knitting, and reading.
Vice-Chair
Nyal Mirza (he/him)
Nyal is an MSc student at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. His research explores the experiences of unpaid caregivers supporting people who use drugs in rural communities. He also works on evaluating supervised consumption service access in rural Canada and examining the socio-cultural factors that influence substance use within South Asian communities. In his spare time, Nyal enjoys playing hockey, golfing, and spending time with friends.
Co-Chapter Liaison
Ella Cettiga (She/Her)
Ella is a BSc Psychology student at the University of Alberta with an interest in mental health, harm reduction, and clinical care. She is currently working as a clinical psychology intern and volunteers with several youth and community-based organizations. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, attending local arts festivals, and giving new life to clothing through sustainable fashion practices.
Co-Chapter Liaison
Xiaoying Zhang (she/her)
Xiaoying is a Master of Public Health student at the University of British Columbia, specializing in mental health and substance use. Her harm reduction work spans across the academic, public, and nonprofit sectors. In her free time, Xiaoying enjoys reading, running, traveling, and spending time with her cat Sera (for serotonin).
Previous Board of Directors
Chair
Thea Sheridan-Jonah (she/her)
Thea is a student at the University of British Columbia studying Political Science and First Nations and Indigenous Studies. Thea has been on the board of CSSDP for about 5 years first as a general member, then the treasurer and has served as chair or co-chair for the past 3 years. Thea is also part of the Vancouver chapter and has served as president or co-president for the past four years. Thea is an organizer in so called Vancouver working in broad collectives for justice and abolition for and beyond drug user liberation. Thea also serves on the board of the Pivot Legal Society and a founding member of the Devil’s Club Medic Collective.
Co-Treasurer
Monique Sandhu (she/her)
Monique is a recent MSc. graduate from the University of British Columbia’s Experimental Medicine program. Her research explored how young people who use drugs navigate systems of care and supervision and the ongoing toxic drug crisis. She is currently a project coordinator working with BC Mental Health & Substance Use Services. In her free time, she loves exploring new cafes and rollerskating.
Personnel Liaison
Paul Rusu (he/him)
Paul just graduated with his MSW from UBC after being an active member of the Concordia chapter of CSSDP in Montreal. His lived experience of addiction has led to the pursuit of work related to substance use. Paul meets people where they are at through both outreach and harm reduction services. Paul also assists people along their recovery process in both live-in and outpatient treatment contexts via both group and individual counselling. Paul is a simple dude, he loves feeling connected with his people and just straight chillin’ pretty much as often as possible.
International Liaison
Azra Panjwani (she/her)
Azra is an MSc student at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health. Her research is centered around harm reduction and is evaluating a virtual supervised consumption service. She is also co-chair of the CSSDP Edmonton Chapter, runs naloxone training with The FentaNIL Project, and is a supportive listening volunteer with Unitea. In her time off, Azra is working her way through a never-ending list of restaurants to try in Edmonton.
Co-Treasurer
Rosa Sundar-Maccagno (they/she)
Rosa is a Masters student in Experimental Medicine at UBC. Their research is focused on detox access and looking at how withdrawal management services need to change in response to the evolving toxic drug supply. Rosa loves reading and spending time with her orange cat Juniper!
Co-Chapter Liaison
Holly Mathias (she/her)
Holly is a PhD student and 2023 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholar in the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. Holly’s community-driven research explores family caregiving for people who use drugs in rural Canada. She is also the Field Officer for CSSDP Edmonton Chapter. In her spare time, Holly enjoys traveling, trying new foods, reading a good book, and spending time with her family and friends.
Co-Chapter Liaison
Kelsey Speed (she/her)
I am a PhD student at UBC in the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program. My research focuses on intersectional, gender-based approaches to drug policy evaluation. Outside of work, you will find me hanging out with Frost, my 3-legged husky-cross rescue dog!
Strategic Advisors
Kira London-Nadeau, PhD
I am a CIHR and FRQS Health Systems Impact Fellow currently completing a pediatric research post-doc at the CHU Ste-Justine’s Gender Diversity Clinic, in affiliation with the Université de Montréal. Prior to this work, I completed my graduate studies as an FRQS and CIHR-Vanier scholar, focusing on the associations between cannabis use and mental health among queer and trans youth in Québec. My research aims to remain connected to community work. As such, in 2018, I co-founded project VoxCann, a bilingual cannabis education initiative for youth in Québec. Between 2018 and 2023, I was the chair of the national board of Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy, for which I now have the pleasure to sit as a Strategic Advisor.
Nick Cristiano, PhD
I am an Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Policing and Community Well-Being B.A. Program at Trent University. My research focuses on harm reduction, public health, drug policy, risk management, cannabis, and club drugs, and nighttime economies.
Rebecca Haines-Saah, PhD
I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. I am a public health sociologist, with a PhD (2008) in Behavioural Health Sciences and Addiction Studies from the University of Toronto. My research interests are in public health and harm reduction approaches to substance use and drug policy reform. My recent projects have focused on youth and young adult cannabis use and opioid use, the family contexts of substance use, and parent advocacy for action on Canada’s overdose death emergency.
Alex Betsos (they/them)
I am a PhD Candidate studying the history of drug addiction research in Canada in the 1960s-90s and its relation to national and international statecraft. My background is in anthropology, sociology and Science and Technology Studies; I study the relations between science, technology, law, drugs and the ways people use them. I’m also a bit of a Canadian drug history nerd. From 2012-2014 I was part of CSSDP’s SFU chapter, and joined the Board first from 2013-2016, and then again from 2017-2021 as its International Representative. Attending the 2016 UNGASS on drugs with CSSDP, completely changed my life. CSSDP taught me that youth voices matter not just because they can speak to the experience of young people, but because they have the creativity and knowledge to dream big; what happens in the rest of the world matters here; and our best work is done together!