iPATH Research Pathways
iPATH’s three intersecting research pathways each address a critical layer of addiction and provide the foundation for transformative discovery, policy impact, and community-aligned recovery supports:
iPATH
integrated Pathway from Addiction To Health
Addiction is a mental illness that knows no socio-economic, geographic, cultural, gender, or age boundaries.
Morbidity and mortality associated with addiction are a public health crisis in Canada, with opioid use deaths increasing at alarming rates. Alcohol and other drug problems also continue to affect large numbers of individuals and families.
Addiction also comes with enormous societal costs, placing a financial burden on public health care and social services. Moreover, would-be participants in Canada’s economy are sitting on the sidelines, burdened by addiction’s toll.
The University of Calgary is poised to make a difference. Our transformational solution is iPATH (integrated Pathway from Addiction To Health (iPATH). With your help, we can lead ground-breaking change – starting in Calgary and rippling into our provincial and national communities.
Vision
Discovering paths to healthier, fulfilling lives beyond addictions.
The iPATH initiative, led by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary, aims to address addiction through collaborative, interdisciplinary efforts. By working together with community partners, healthcare providers, researchers, people with lived experience, and policymakers, this initiative will foster meaningful change in how addiction is understood, prevented, and treated.
Pathway 1: Unlocking root causes and advancing interventions.
- Investigating the neurobiology and societal origins of addiction
- Developing innovative, evidence-based prevention and treatment interventions
Pathway 2: Preventing Addiction through Healthier Communities
- Develop better targeted approaches to preventing addiction and supporting recovery by focusing on understanding how people move through the systems of care.
- Taking a holistic approach to preventing and addressing substance use and addiction, addressing the broader context in which addiction occurs
Pathway 3: Improving Personal Experience
- Exploring personalized treatment options
- Supporting system navigation and equitable access
- Engaging in longitudinal process and outcome monitoring
Contact
Changing Lives, Together
The University of Calgary’s iPATH strategy is a bold, innovative solution to addiction and we are up to the challenge. We are poised to make a world-changing difference through our research strengths, strong partnerships and laser-sharp vision – one that will make a life-improving difference for countless individuals and families touched by addiction. Join us and, together, we can create the future of health.