SSRI cofunded faculty member Sarah Brothers is the author of the forthcoming book “Hit Doctors: Care, Harm, and the Art of Survival”, an ethnographic study examining informal caregiving networks among people who inject drugs in San Francisco.
Drawing on more than seven years of fieldwork, the bookdocuments the lives of “hit doctors,” individuals who assist others with injections when damaged veins make self-injection difficult or impossible. Often living in the same encampments, single-room-occupancy hotels, and unstable conditions as those they help, hit doctors provide critical care in settings where formal medical systems are inaccessible or exclusionary. The book explores how trust, gender, grief, and ethical responsibility shape these relationships, particularly during the rapid rise of fentanyl-related overdose deaths.
Brothers’ research offers timely insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers working at the intersections of substance use, homelessness, harm reduction, and public health, highlighting how communities create systems of care when institutional support falls short.
Preorder information:
Hit Doctors: Care, Harm, and the Art of Survival is scheduled for publication in August 2026, with the eBook edition planned for August 18, 2026. The book is currently available for preorder through University of California Press and major retailers including Amazon.