Professor Samantha Meyer is an applied social scientist with expertise in social theories of trust and risk, and a variety of methodological approaches used to inform research investigating critical and timely public health problems.

Her research focus is understanding the complex social and structural factors that shape population health, and the health of underserved populations specifically. The notion of trust in government and health policy as it relates to health behaviour is central to her work, as are the concepts mis- and disinformation. Theoretically, she has identified and operationalised semantic distinctions between trust and the related concepts of dependence and obligation that are critical for research investigating and measuring trust. Her empirical research demonstrates the role of trust in the acceptance of health promotion efforts (e.g., risk messaging around alcohol, vaccine uptake, participation in cancer screening programs).

Most recently, she led the development of measures of trust in government and health care that will be used in forthcoming intervention research that aims to (re)build trust in the interest of population health. These measures are being used globally by practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and trainees across 19 countries in six languages.

She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the TRuST scholarly network at the University of Waterloo; a network that explores the concept of public trust in medical, technological and other scientific research that affect and benefit the everyday lives of Canadians.