Samara Mayer has worked in qualitative and health service research for over decade. Her research background is in critical social science research, ethnographic and community-engaged research methods. Through her research, she aims to improve the delivery of health and social services for people who use drugs. She has a Bachelors in Anthropology, Masters’ in Public Health and recently completed her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of British Columbia. She is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Victoria at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health under the co-supervision of Drs. Marilou Gagnon and Kelli Stajduhar.
Samara’s postdoctoral research project will examine the pain needs of people who use(d) drugs in a palliative context, gaps in pain management for this population, and develop approaches to meet these needs. This research aims to build connections between palliative and substance use care and develop a framework for patient-centred pain management for people who use(d) drugs in a palliative context.