Dr. Maurer is a Health Policy Research Scientist with the Sonderegger Research Center within the School of Pharmacy.  Her current research focuses on policy issues related to the pharmaceutical supply chain and healthcare professional practice, with an emphasis on controlled medicines.  Her recent projects include implementing a policy surveillance methodology to evaluate state drug control and healthcare practice policies regarding pain management.  She is part of a team working with Drs. Dave Mott, Kevin Look, and Olayinka Shiyanbola to explore strengthening the role of pharmacists in educating patients about using controlled medication storage and disposal opportunities in their community, and examining the influence of prescription monitoring programs on the retail sales of controlled medications.

Prior to joining the SRC over the last 20 years, she held various research positions within the Pain and Policy Studies Group, a global research and outreach program in the UW Carbone Cancer Center. She accrued experience managing a large opioid medication consumption database to characterize opioid medication consumption patterns and identify factors that influence these trends, such as national cancer mortality rates. Dr. Maurer also conducted numerous qualitative policy content analyses and a formative program evaluation.  She also gained management experience, co-directing a policy research and training program, the International Pain Policy Fellowship, that empowered emerging leaders (e.g., physicians, pharmacists) from low- and middle-income countries to identify and address barriers to the use of opioid medications for pain control in their countries.

Dr. Maurer completed her PhD in social welfare from the University of Wisconsin School of Social Work, with an emphasis on aging, end-of-life care and policy.  Her doctoral research involved analyzing a large national dataset of hospice and palliative care patients to assess the influence of patient-related factors on length of stay in hospice care.  Dr. Maurer also obtained an MPH at the University of Wisconsin to complement her social science training.