Clare Schmidt, MPH

Clare Schmidt, MPH (she/her) is a harm reduction nerd who was introduced to this world through the vibrant harm reduction community in Boston, Massachusetts where she helped establish one of the first SSP-based drug checking programs in the country. She currently works nationally to help organizations establish and roll-out drug checking programs with a focus on technician training, capacity building, and communities of practice.

Clare has seen first-hand how racist and prohibitionist drug policies have led to an erratic drug supply and broken care systems, which then perpetuate mountains of preventable harm upon people who use drugs.  Clare believes strongly in drug checking as a tool for engagement, as a way to increase bodily autonomy and pleasure, and ultimately as a route through which to move towards safe supply.

Clare is a founding member of the Alliance for Collaborative Drug Checking and holds a degree in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota and a Masters in Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Boston University. She loves good food (eating and creating), living out of a backpack for months at a time, and her Puerto Rican dog-son Benito Bad Bunny.