Hailing from Westville, Nova Scotia, Dr. Holly Mathias (she/her) is Assistant Professor of Family Science in the Department of Human Ecology at the University of Alberta and Research Scientist with the Inner City Health and Wellness Program (Royal Alexandra Hospital). Dr. Mathias holds a PhD in Public Health (UAlberta), MA in Health Promotion and Certificate in University Teaching and Learning(Dalhousie), and BA Honours in Global Development Studies and English Literature (Queen’s).
Dr. Mathias’s program of research explores how contemporary Canadian families experience emerging health and social issues (e.g., toxic drug crisis, housing insecurity) through community-based research methods, and critically examines family-oriented policy and program interventions. She enjoys working collaboratively with knowledge users and people with lived/living experience to generate policy- and community-relevant data.
Her most recent community-based research explored the experiences of unpaid family caregivers for people who use drugs in rural Canada, in collaboration with Moms Stop the Harm, RECLAIM Collective, and Manitoba Harm Reduction Network. This work was well awarded with Vanier, Killam, and Pierre Elliott Trudeau (2023 cohort) doctoral scholarships. Future research will continue to examine topics related to families, substance use, and care.
Dr. Mathias also regularly collaborates on research and supports students with interests related to caregiving, rural health, substance use, access to services, health and social policy, and determinants of health.
