The Addiction and Urban Health Research Initiative (UHRI) is an innovative research program based on a network of studies developed to help identify and understand the many factors that affect the health of urban populations. Focusing primarily on issues relating to substance abuse, infectious diseases, the urban environment and homelessness, UHRI aims to improve the health of individuals and communities through research to inform policy. Founded in 2007, UHRI’s team consists of researchers, epidemiologists, statisticians, ethnographers, research assistants, research coordinators, registered nurses, knowledge translations coordinators, students, and support staff.

UHRI research is funded primarily through peer-reviewed grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research.