Dr. Monty Ghosh
Positions
Clinical Assistant Professor
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Medicine
Full Member
Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Full Member
Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education
Contact information
Web presence
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Kelly Johnston
Senior Communications Specialist
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Background
Credentials
Masters of Public Health, Harvard University - TH Chan School of Public Health, 2021
Masters of Biomedical Technology, University of Calgary, 2004
Masters of Science , Vrjee University of Belgium / University of Alberta, 2016
Biography
Dr. S. Monty Ghosh is an Internist and Addiction Specialist based in Alberta, Canada, recognized for his leadership in addiction medicine, public health innovation, and health policy. He practices Internal Medicine at the University of Alberta Hospital and provides Addiction Medicine services at the Foothills Medical Centre and Rockyview General Hospital. In addition to his hospital-based work, he collaborates closely with community-based, non-profit organizations including The Alex Community Health Centre and The Calgary Drop-In Centre to support individuals experiencing homelessness, substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and other social vulnerabilities. He has helped design and implement innovative programs that bridge acute care, community medicine, and harm reduction.
Dr. Ghosh served as Medical Co-Lead of Alberta Health Services’ Rapid Access Addiction Medicine (RAAM) Program which he co-founded, expanding low-barrier, evidence-based addiction treatment across the province. He holds addiction certification through the International Society of Addiction Medicine and earned his Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he was selected as a commencement speaker (valedictorian). He is an Assistant Professor at both the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.
A nationally recognized physician-researcher, Dr. Ghosh is the primary recipient of competitive grants from Health Canada, Alberta Innovates, Alberta Health, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, supporting work in overdose prevention, harm reduction, digital health, and health systems transformation. He is a past president of the Section of Addiction Medicine of the Alberta Medical Association and Co-Chair of the Canadian Network for the Health and Housing of People Experiencing Homelessness (CNH3), advancing national collaboration at the intersection of housing, health, and substance use.
Through clinical care, research, policy leadership, and community partnership, Dr. Ghosh’s work focuses on reducing preventable harm, strengthening health equity, and building scalable systems of care for marginalized populations.
MEDIA:
Dr. S. Monty Ghosh is a nationally recognized physician-expert whose work has been featured extensively across major Canadian and international media platforms. He has contributed expert commentary to more than 200 news stories and broadcast segments, providing evidence-informed analysis on addiction medicine, overdose trends, harm reduction policy, and health system reform. His perspectives have been featured by outlets including CBC News, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, The Globe and Mail, Maclean's Magazine, Healthline CTV News, and Global News.
His media engagement spans television, radio, print, and digital journalism, where he is frequently consulted to contextualize emerging drug supply trends, public health emergencies, and provincial or federal policy changes. Known for translating complex epidemiologic data and clinical realities into accessible public messaging, Dr. Ghosh plays an active role in shaping national conversations around addiction, homelessness, and health equity.
Through sustained engagement with high-profile media outlets, he contributes to bridging the gap between frontline clinical practice, research evidence, and public understanding—ensuring that policy debates are grounded in real-world clinical experience and population-level data.
Research
Areas of Research
Dr. S. Monty Ghosh is an Internist and Addiction Specialist whose research at the University of Calgary focuses on advancing evidence-informed, system-level responses to substance use, homelessness, and health inequity. His program of work integrates clinical medicine, public health, and policy innovation to reduce preventable morbidity and mortality among structurally marginalized populations.
A central focus of Dr. Ghosh’s research is overdose prevention and response. He leads and collaborates on initiatives that evaluate technology-enabled harm reduction strategies, real-time surveillance systems, and novel service delivery models designed to reduce overdose deaths. His work emphasizes pragmatic implementation—testing interventions in real-world clinical and community settings and generating data that can directly inform provincial and national policy. Through partnerships with health systems, community agencies, and governmental bodies, he examines how data can be translated into rapid, operational decision-making.
Dr. Ghosh also studies health system integration in addiction care. His research evaluates low-barrier, rapid-access treatment models and explores how addiction medicine can be embedded across emergency departments, inpatient units, and community-based care. He is particularly interested in how hospital-based overdose events, high-acuity service utilization, and transitions of care can be addressed through structural redesign and cross-sector collaboration rather than episodic intervention. Implementation science frameworks guide much of this work, ensuring scalability and sustainability.
Housing and homelessness are additional pillars of his scholarship. As Co-Chair of the Canadian Network for the Health and Housing of People Experiencing Homelessness (CNH3), he advances interdisciplinary research at the intersection of housing instability, substance use, and chronic disease. His work examines how structural determinants—such as housing precarity and justice involvement—shape health outcomes and how integrated health–housing strategies can mitigate risk.
Across his research portfolio, equity, stigma reduction, and community partnership are foundational principles. Dr. Ghosh prioritizes collaboration with people with lived and living experience, frontline providers, and policymakers to ensure that research findings are actionable and aligned with community needs. His work has been supported by Health Canada, Alberta Innovates, Alberta Health, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, reflecting its national relevance and policy impact.
Through clinical scholarship, systems innovation, and policy engagement, Dr. Ghosh’s research aims to transform how health systems respond to addiction and homelessness—shifting from reactive crisis management to proactive, coordinated, and equitable models of care.
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Projects
Awards
- Governor General’s Innovation Award, Rideau Hall Foundation. 2025
- Award for Compassionate Service, Alberta Medical Association. 2021
- Community Based Research Canada Excellence in Community-Campus Research, Community Based Research Canada. 2025
- Alumni Horizon Award, University of Alberta. 2021
- O’Brien Institute of Public Health, Mid-Career Researcher of the Year, University of Calgary, . 2025
- Innovator of the Year Award, Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association. 2021
- Emerging Public Health Professional Award., Harvard University Alumni Association. 2024
- ARCH Award for Community Commitment, University of Calgary. 2024
- Calgary Asian Changemakers 2024, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2024
- Leroy le Riche Endowment award , University of Calgary. 2025
- Medical Post Awards: Make a Difference award: Urban Category, Medical Post. 2024
- Top Teacher Award 2022-2023. Continuing Medical Education & Professional Development, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. 2024
- University of Calgary Enhanced Skills Program Excellence in Mentoring Award, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. 2023
- Effectuating Change in the Field Award, Western Canada Addiction Forum. 2025
- Ascend Global Leaders Canada, Pan Asian Social Impact Award, Ascend Canada. 2023
- Petro Canada Emerging Innovator Award, Petro Canada. 2025
- Specialist Physician of the Year , Faculty of Family Medicine, University of Calgary. 2025
- The Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, Government of Alberta. 2022
- Avenue Magazine Top 40 Under 40, 2021
- Award for Young Leaders (Early Career), Canadian Medical Association. 2021
- University of Calgary Enhanced Skills Program Outstanding Teaching Award, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. 2024
- University of Alberta Community Connections Award (Community Leader Award), University of Alberta. 2023
- ASTech Awards (Alberta Science, Technology, and Leadership Awards) Early Innovator, ASTech Awards. 2023
- University of Alberta Jon Meddings Innovation Award, University of Alberta. 2022
- 2022 Commencement Student Speaker, Harvard University TH Chan School of Public Health. 2022
- Royal College Award for Early Career Leadership in Professional Practice / Patient Care, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. 2022
- Edmonton Zone Medical Staff Association Award for Innovator of the Year, Alberta Medical Association. 2022
- University of Alberta Alumni Association Horizon Award, University of Alberta. 2021
Publications
- Medical Professionalism: Theory, Education, and Practice. Oxford University Press. (2025)
- Opioid Agonist Treatment: A presciber’s guide to treatment.. Alyssa Kelly, Ghosh, Monty. (2024)
In the News
- Decriminalization. Policy Options. (2021)
- Fatal overdoses often happen when users are alone. Hotlines, sensors, can save lives. . The Washington Post. (2025)
- National Overdose Response Service. The Globe and Mail.
- Canada has a hotline for people who use drugs. CBC The National . (2025)
- As safe drug-consumption sites seem set to dwindle, a phone service steps up to help watch users. The Toronto Star. (2024)
- Drug Decriminalization Spawns a Political Debacle for Progressives. Bloomburg. (2024)
- Digging Deeper. Canada’s Toxic Drug Crisis. The Vassy Kapelos Show CTV Podcast.. (2024)
- The Secret to Solving Homelessness. The Ryan Jespersen Show. (2024)
- Every 49 minutes. Maclean's Magazine. (2021)
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