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Samantha Hurst, Ph.D. is an Associate Project Scientist in the UCSD Department of Family Medicine And Public Health. As a medical anthropologist and qualitative methodologist, Dr. Hurst’s areas of expertise lie within cross-cultural medicine and community-based treatment strategies. She is particularly interested and involved in issues involving equity in health, cultural competency, ethnic and cultural health disparities, implementation science and global health policy. Dr. Hurst's research collaborations span a rich variety of healthcare domains such as neurology, psychiatry, behavioral health, health policy, complimentary medicine, and medical education. Over the last decade she has collaborated on projects working with a number of unique U.S. cultural groups and International populations - American Indian, Australian Aborigine, First Nation [Canada], Maori [New Zealand], East African refugees, Yoruba [Nigeria], and U.S. combat veterans. These studies have included research involving alcohol and drug misuse, men’s health, youth violence prevention, sexual assault prevention, psychological trauma and stress, hypertension and secondary stroke prevention, and tobacco cessation. Dr. Hurst also works at the VA San Diego with the Center of Excellence in Stress and Mental Health.

Dr. Hurst received her Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and did her Post-Doctoral Fellowship training as a Medical Anthropologist in the Alcohol Research Center at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla.