Maher obtained her BA from the University of Queensland, and MA and PhD from Rutgers.[3] Maher's career involves the viral epidemiology of people who inject drugs, those living with HIV, sex workers as well as marginalised youth.[4][5] Her research involves preventing infectious diseases within vulnerable populations.[6][3][7][8] Her work includes research on vulnerable people across the world, including those in North America, South East Asia, Australia and the Pacific.[9]
Maher's work on drug use has been reported by the ABC and SBS noting that heroin use caused young daughters to turn away from their families.[10] In the 1990s she filmed and interviewed people using heroin in Cabramatta to report on the epidemic 'and the deeply flawed response by authorities'.[11] Maher's work also includes researching drug use, reporting on the policing of heroin crack-downs,[12] intravenous injections, HIV prevention, and she has a partnership for the CRE for Injecting Drug Use.[13]
The Prime Minister Julia Gillard noted her involvement in the "prevention of infectious disease in vulnerable populations" and "community services such as vaccination, counselling and education."[14]
Select publications
In 2019, Maher had over 280 journal articles, 26 book chapters and two books published.[15] She has also had work published in The Lancet.[16]
Books
Maher (1997) Sexed Work: Gender, Race, and Resistance in a Brooklyn Drug Market Oxford University Press.[17]
Daly K. and Maher L. (editors), (1998) Criminology at the Crossroads: Feminist Readings of Crime and Justice, Oxford University Press, New York
Journal articles
Maher and Dixon, (1999) Policing and public health: Law enforcement and harm minimization in a street-level drug market British journal of criminology.[18]
Grebly, J. et al. (2014) The effects of female sex, viral genotype, and IL28B genotype on spontaneous clearance of acute hepatitis C virus infection Hepatology 59:(1).[19]
Maher et al. (2006). Incidence and risk factors for hepatitis C seroconversion in injecting drug users in Australia. Addiction. 101: 1499–1508 [18]
Awards and recognition
Maher's awards are as follows:
(2017) Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (FAHMS).[20]