Hillary Samples, PhD, MHS

Assistant Professor of Health Systems and Policy,
Rutgers School of Public Health

Core Member, Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science,
Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research

Dr. Samples joined Rutgers after completing a post-doctoral fellowship in Substance Abuse Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She earned her PhD in Health Services Research and Policy, MHS in Population Mental Health, and a Certificate of Bioethics and Public Health Policy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Samples works with large health care databases and national data for studies examining patterns of drug use and behavioral health treatment, the relationship with health outcomes, and the role of policy in expanding access to evidence-based care and reducing the burden of mental health and substance use problems in the U.S. Her research broadly aims to advance knowledge of effective practices and policies to improve behavioral health and well-being at a population level and increase equity for disadvantaged groups. Her work has been supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and published in high-impact journals, such as JAMA Open, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Affairs.

Selected Publications

• Samples H, Williams AR, Crystal S, Olfson M. Psychosocial and Behavioral Therapy in Conjunction with Medication for Opioid Use Disorder: Patterns, Predictors, and Association with Buprenorphine Treatment Outcomes. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2022;108774.
• Mauro PM, Gutkind S, Annunziato EM, Samples H. Use of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Among US Adolescents and Adults With Need for Opioid Treatment, 2019. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(3):e223821.
• Bushnell G, Samples H, Gerhard T, Calello DP, Olfson M. Benzodiazepine and Stimulant
  Prescriptions Before Overdose in Youth. Pediatrics. 2022;149(4):e2021055226.
• Samples H, Williams AR, Crystal S, Olfson M. Impact Of Long-Term Buprenorphine
  Treatment On Adverse Health Care Outcomes in Medicaid. Health Aff. 2020;39(5):747-755.
• Samples H, Stuart EA, Olfson M. Opioid Use and Misuse and Suicidal Behaviors in a
  Nationally Representative Sample of US Adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2019;188(7):1245-1253.
• Samples H, Williams AR, Olfson M, Crystal S. Risk factors for discontinuation of
  buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorders in a multi-state sample of Medicaid
  enrollees. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2018;95:9-17.

Grants
July 2020 – June 2025
NIH/NIDA K01DA049950
Multi-level associations between opioid use and overdose: Individual, clinical, and population-based risk factors for fatality
Principal Investigator

July 2018 – June 2023
NIH/NIDA L30DA046889
The clinical epidemiology of opioid use disorder, overdose, and medication treatment
Principal Investigator