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Farihah Ali

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Assistant ProfessorSocial & Behavioural Health Sciences DivisionUniversity of Toronto

Farihah Ali

Assistant Professor

Social & Behavioural Health Sciences Division

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

University of Toronto

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Supervision signals

Professors usually supervise graduate students in their department's programs.
45 publications in the last five years, latest in 2026.
Senior (last) author on 6 recent papers, a sign of leading a research group.
Principal investigator on 1 research grant (1 CIHR), most recently in 2022.

These signals come from public records, including CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions. Ask the professor or the graduate program whether they are taking new students.

Academic metrics

Publications

Citations

Collaborators

Grants

Publications by year

Counts cover the publications linked to this profile. Citations and the h-index appear when the source records them.

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Signals and details

Research

Addiction Decriminalization Of Illicit Substance Opioid

Latest papers

Implementation factors shaping British Columbia's drug decriminalization pilot: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.
The International journal on drug policy · 2026 · first author
Trends in the sex ratio of cannabis use, harms and perceptions among youth in Ontario, Canada, 1999 to 2023.
Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2026
The Pathways Project: Exploring Substance Use Trajectories and Opioid-Related Outcomes in Adults Seeking Support for Substance Use Health.
Substance use & misuse · 2026

All 53 publications

Latest funding

Drug Harms in Canada: A Multicriteria Decision Analysis
CIHR · 2024 · Co-investigator
$10,000
Evaluation BC exemption re. possession of illegal drugs (Evaluation of the British Columbia Exemption to Allow for Personal Possession of Small Amounts of Illegal Drugs)
CIHR · 2022 · Principal investigator
$2,849,643
Developing a COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy that Addresses the Needs of People Who Use Drugs in Canada
CIHR · 2021 · Co-investigator
$197,614

All 3 grants and awards

53 publications.

Implementation factors shaping British Columbia's drug decriminalization pilot: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.

Ali F, Chellew Paternostro S, Imtiaz S, Crépault JF, Le Foll B, Russell C, Degenhardt L, Alsheikh H, Smith W, Rehm J

The International journal on drug policy2026First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105431 PMID: 42480418

Trends in the sex ratio of cannabis use, harms and perceptions among youth in Ontario, Canada, 1999 to 2023.

Matheson J, Boak A, Jiang H, Nigatu YT, Elton-Marshall T, Rueda S, Ali F, Rubin-Kahana DS, Galea LAM, Hamilton HA, Rehm J, Le Foll B, Imtiaz S

Addiction (Abingdon, England)2026

DOI: 10.1111/add.70607 PMID: 42775603

The Pathways Project: Exploring Substance Use Trajectories and Opioid-Related Outcomes in Adults Seeking Support for Substance Use Health.

Quilty LC, Otevwe O, Picco CZD, Sanches M, Ali F, Beyraghi N, Bozinoff N, Rehm J, Russell C, Wells S, Buckley L

Substance use & misuse2026

DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2026.2711400 PMID: 42760287

The role of oxygen in shelter-based overdose response: A qualitative needs assessment across shelter sites in Toronto, Canada.

Ali F, Shaw A, Bell-Scollan E, Hayman K, Griffiths S, Dodd Z, Luchsinger D, Pauly BB, Waldman M, Dookie S, Rehm J

The International journal on drug policy2026First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105418 PMID: 42401030

The Impact of British Columbia's Drug Decriminalization Policy on Police-Reported Drug Possession Seizures.

Imtiaz S, Abdul SA, Sanches M, Russell C, Ali F, Rehm J

American journal of preventive medicine2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2026.108526 PMID: 42503363

Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioids: Use to Experience Subjective Effects Versus Other Nonmedical Use Among Adults in Ontario, Canada From 2020 to 2024.

Nigatu YT, Wells S, Buckley L, Quilty LC, Bozinoff N, Ali F, Imtiaz S, Hamilton HA

Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs2026

DOI: 10.15288/jsad.25-00213 PMID: 41273246

The short-term impacts of the decriminalization of personal possession of select illegal drugs on drug possession criminal incidents and criminal cases in British Columbia, Canada (2013 to 2023).

Abdul SA, Wu E, Jiang H, Russell C, Ali F, Rehm J, Butler A, Elton-Marshall T, Henderson I, Gomes T, Greer A, Kinniburgh B, Le Foll B, Palis H, Patenaude S, Imtiaz S

The International journal on drug policy2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105261 PMID: 41985344

A continuum of disconnection: the impacts of safer supply program closures on continuity of care, transition, and total loss of service access.

Ali F, Sprakes A, Mende-Gibson J, Karamouzian M, Kolla G, Shaw A, Celinski A, Kaminski N, Chandresekera U, Rehm J

Harm reduction journal2026First author

DOI: 10.1186/s12954-026-01469-z PMID: 42106810

Doubts and disconnection: Police reflections on drug decriminalization in British Columbia in the first year of implementation.

Butler A, Ferencz S, Agnew-Pauley W, Russell C, Ali F, Greer A

The International journal on drug policy2026

DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2026.105211 PMID: 41740192

Dying younger, dying of overdose: gendered and age dimensions of mortality and shelter service access among individuals experiencing homelessness in Toronto, Canada.

Ali F, Mende-Gibson J, Bozinoff N, Leece P, Dodd Z, Schmidt RA, Rehm J

BMC public health2026First author

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-27460-8 PMID: 42021287

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their CIHR grant from 2022

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Addiction Dear Professor Ali, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Implementation factors shaping British Columbia's drug decriminalization pilot: A systematic review with narrative synthesis." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your CIHR-funded project "Evaluation BC exemption re. possession of illegal drugs (Evaluation of the British Columbia Exemption to Allow for Personal Possession of Small Amounts of Illegal Drugs)" (2022), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]

Profile data last refreshed on July 30, 2025 from the university directory, publication records and CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding.

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Farihah Ali

Research

Latest papers

Latest funding

Implementation factors shaping British Columbia's drug decriminalization pilot: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.

Trends in the sex ratio of cannabis use, harms and perceptions among youth in Ontario, Canada, 1999 to 2023.

The Pathways Project: Exploring Substance Use Trajectories and Opioid-Related Outcomes in Adults Seeking Support for Substance Use Health.

The role of oxygen in shelter-based overdose response: A qualitative needs assessment across shelter sites in Toronto, Canada.

The Impact of British Columbia's Drug Decriminalization Policy on Police-Reported Drug Possession Seizures.

Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioids: Use to Experience Subjective Effects Versus Other Nonmedical Use Among Adults in Ontario, Canada From 2020 to 2024.

The short-term impacts of the decriminalization of personal possession of select illegal drugs on drug possession criminal incidents and criminal cases in British Columbia, Canada (2013 to 2023).

A continuum of disconnection: the impacts of safer supply program closures on continuity of care, transition, and total loss of service access.

Doubts and disconnection: Police reflections on drug decriminalization in British Columbia in the first year of implementation.

Dying younger, dying of overdose: gendered and age dimensions of mortality and shelter service access among individuals experiencing homelessness in Toronto, Canada.

Drug Harms in Canada: A Multicriteria Decision Analysis

Evaluation BC exemption re. possession of illegal drugs (Evaluation of the British Columbia Exemption to Allow for Personal Possession of Small Amounts of Illegal Drugs)

Developing a COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy that Addresses the Needs of People Who Use Drugs in Canada

Frequent collaborators

Tara Elton-Marshall

Tara Elton-Marshall

Bernard Le Foll

Nikki Bozinoff

Samantha Wells

Sergio Rueda

Huan jiang

Rita Shahin

Alissa Greer

Samantha Wells

Elaine Hyshka

Geoff Bardwell

Amanda Butler

Pamela Leece

Leslie Buckley

Kurt Lock

Heather Palis

Mohammad Karamouzian

Mark Asbridge

Shannon Lange

Carol Strike

Brian Rush

Gillian Kolla

Karleigh Darnay

Michael Chaiton

Tara Gomes

Robert Henry

Jade Boyd

Lena Quilty

Bundit Sornpaisarn

Branka Agic

Branka Agic