Her research focuses on a variety of social and environmental determinants of health, including land use, transportation, water infrastructure, and climate change. In partnership with communities and local governments, she conducts research and plans and evaluates interventions to improve health equity. In collaboration with the Detroit Land Bank Authority and the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, she is currently co-PI (with Joan Nassauer) of a multidisciplinary study to assess green infrastructure in Detroit. She is a steering committee member of the Detroit Climate Action Collaborative and a member of the statewide Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition. Dr. Sampson is also interested in the scholarship of teaching and learning in the field of public health, and has worked as a teaching consultant at University of Michigan’s Center for Research on Learning and Teaching.