Dr Burton's research focuses on substance use, decision making and perinatal mental health, with a particular interest in substance use in the perinatal period and disclosure of use. Sam's research primarily uses quantitative methods, primarily with routinely collected healthcare records, RCT's or cohort datasets.

Sam's work also focuses on access and engagement with perinatal mental healthcare and predictors of antenatal alcohol use. Dr Burton is developing a line of work to examine stigma of women who use alcohol during the perinatal period, with an aim to improve access to care, to reduce alcohol-harm in person-focused manner.