I am a health policy researcher, political economist, and PhD candidate in the Department of Geography at Simon Fraser University. I have broad interests in the spatial, political-economic, and social dimensions of health care policymaking and reform.

I am also a research associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and have served in senior advisory and research roles in the BC Ministry of Health and large health care unions. I publish health policy and health services research on a variety of topics, including health care finance, labour restructuring, privatization, surgical wait times, seniors’ care, and primary care reform. I am a frequent commentator on health policy, and my research and commentaries have appeared in/on CBC, CTV, The Edmonton Journal, The Financial Post, Global, The Globe and Mail, Healthy Debate, Le Devoir, Policy Options, The Toronto Star, The Tyee, The Vancouver Sun, widely in regional media.

I use mixed-methods approaches to explain processes of health system change, including literature reviews, interviews and focus groups, financial and statistical analysis, Freedom of Information requests, and content analysis.

Doctoral research

My doctoral research, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, examines primary care reform in British Columbia, England, and Scotland. I use a comparative political economy approach to study the movement and implementation of market-oriented health policy reforms and health services restructuring in these places. 

My doctoral research is generously supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and SFU Department of Geography and Faculty of Environment graduate awards.


Education


Awards


I can be reached by email at andrew_longhurst[at]sfu.ca. Follow me on Bluesky.


Please note that opinions and recommendations expressed in my publications and commentary are solely my own and do not represent others unless stated.