TCORS: Personnel

Principal Investigators

Rafael Meza, PhD
British Columbia Cancer Research Institute
Rafael Meza, PhD
British Columbia Cancer Research Institute: Distinguished Scientist
Positions: Administrative (ADMIN) Core; CAsToR Principal Investigator; Research Project 1; Research Project 4
BCCRC: bccrc.ca
UM: sph.umich.edu
UM Experts: experts.umich.edu
Dr. Meza is Principal Investigator of the Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulation (CAsToR) and the Coordinating Principal Investigator of the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET) Lung Working Group. Prior to joining BC Cancer, Dr. Meza was Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at the University of Michigan and co-Leader of the Cancer Control and Population Sciences of the Rogel Cancer Center. Dr. Meza is a Distinguished Scientist at the British Columbia Cancer Research Institute and Distinguished Scholar in Lung Cancer Screening and Prevention at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Meza's research interests lie at the interface of epidemiology, biostatistics and biomathematics. He is an expert in lung cancer epidemiology and prevention and tobacco epidemiology and control. The goal of his research program is to characterize the impact of disease prevention and control interventions, informing stakeholders and policymakers as to the most effective and efficient ways to improve population health. In particular, he is interested in cancer risk assessment and the analysis of cancer epidemiology data using mechanistic models of carcinogenesis. He is also interested in the mathematical modeling of chronic and infectious disease dynamics and its applications in disease prevention public health policy design.
David Levy, PhD
Georgetown University
David Levy, PhD
Georgetown University: Professor, Georgetown University Medical Center
Positions: Administrative (ADMIN) Core; CAsToR Principal Investigator; Research Project 1; Research Project 3
Webpage: globalhealth.georgetown.edu
Dr. David Levy is PI for CAsToR at Georgetown University. Dr. Levy received his PhD in Economics from UCLA (USA), and is currently a Professor of Oncology at Georgetown University. He has published over 250 articles, in renowned journals such as the American Economic Review, BMJ, AJPH, JAMA, The Lancet, Tobacco Control, and PLOS Medicine. He has been principal investigator of grants from the CDC, WHO, the National Cancer Institute, and Bloomberg/Gates Foundation. Dr. Levy currently oversees the design and development of the SimSmoke tobacco policy simulation model, for which he has developed models for over 40 countries covering 85% of the world’s population, and has recently developed models of smokeless tobacco and e-cigarette use. In addition to being a principal investigator on the TCORS grant, he is currently a principal investor on a National Cancer Institute grant with the International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (the ITC Project) in which he has developed models of e-cigarette use for Canada, England and France; and is a principal investigator on the National Cancer Institute CISNET Lung Group. He has recently published articles providing a public health framework for evaluating e-cigarettes and showing the potential benefits of e-cigarettes, as well as papers on the cigarette and e-cigarette markets.
David Mendez, PhD
University of Michigan
David Mendez, PhD
University of Michigan: Professor of Health Management and Policy
Positions: Administrative (ADMIN) Core; Career Enhancement Core (CEC); CAsToR Principal Investigator; Research Project 2
Webpage: sph.umich.edu
UM Experts: experts.umich.edu
Dr. David Mendez is PI for CAsToR at the University of Michigan and Core Lead for the Career Enhancement Core (CEC) and Project Lead for Research Project 2. He is also a member of the CAsToR Steering Committee. Dr. Mendez is an Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on modeling trends of cigarette smoking cessation or switching to e-cigarettes. Dr. Mendez’s research also investigates the financial implications of these trends, with specific focus on tobacco control in the United States.

Project + Core Lead Investigators

Andrew F Brouwer, PhD, MS, MA
University of Michigan
Andrew F Brouwer, PhD, MS, MA
University of Michigan: Assistant Professor, Epidemiology
Position: Data Analysis and Modeling (DAM) Core
Roles: Junior Faculty, New Investigator, Pilot PI Alumni
Webpage: sph.umich.edu
UM Experts: experts.umich.edu
Pilot: tcors.umich.edu
Andrew F Brouwer, PhD, MS, MA
Dr. Andrew Brouwer serves as a Lead for the Data Analysis and Modeling Core (DAM). He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a member of the Rogel Cancer Center’s Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Program. Dr. Brouwer’s research focuses on mathematical and statistical modeling for inference in epidemiology, with the goal of making the most of data for the benefit of public health. He is an expert in methods that address questions of parameter identifiability, estimation, and uncertainty. Dr. Brouwer's research using multistate transition models has brought new insights to transitions between tobacco products.
Abigail Friedman, PhD
Yale University
Abigail Friedman, PhD
Yale University: Associate Professor of Health Policy
Position: Research Project 3
Webpage: ysph.yale.edu
Abigail Friedman, PhD
Dr. Abigail Friedman is Co-Investigator of Project 3 and co-PI of the Yale CAsToR site. An Associate Professor of Health Policy at the Yale School of Public Health and a faculty affiliate of the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine, she is a health economist by training, with interests focused on the policy determinants of nicotine and tobacco use. Her research applies quasi-experimental research designs to estimate state and local policies’ effects on these behaviors and disparities therein, in order to inform policymaking to improve public health and health equity. Her recent work includes papers estimating the effects of e-cigarette taxes, smoke- and vape-free worksites laws, flavor restrictions, and tobacco-21 laws on conventional and electronic cigarette use among youth and young adults.
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, DPhil
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, DPhil
University of Massachusetts Amherst: Assistant Professor
Position: Policy Analysis and Dissemination (PAD) Core
Webpage: umass.edu
Holly Jarman, PhD
University of Michigan
Holly Jarman, PhD
University of Michigan: Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy; Associate Professor of Global Public Health
Position: Policy Analysis and Dissemination (PAD) Core
Webpage: sph.umich.edu
UM Experts: experts.umich.edu
Jihyoun Jeon, PhD, MS
University of Michigan
Jihyoun Jeon, PhD, MS
University of Michigan: Associate Research Scientist
Position: Data Analysis and Modeling (DAM) Core
SPH: sph.umich.edu
GHE: globalhealthequity.umich.edu
UM Experts: experts.umich.edu
Jihyoun Jeon, PhD, MS
Dr. Jihyoun Jeon is Project Lead for the Data Analysis and Modeling Core (DAM). She is an Associate Research Scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and a member of the Rogel Cancer Center’s Cancer Control and Population Sciences program. Her research interests focus on developing models based on biological and clinical mechanisms and statistical methods to evaluate the impact of risk factors on various cancers and improve cancer outcomes. The goal of these modeling efforts is to address important practical public health and clinical questions, such as the efficacy of screening to reduce cancer incidence/mortality, and assist public health policymakers in their decision process. Dr. Jeon has been a key investigator of the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network Lung Working Group (CISNET LWG) since 2008, working on the development and management of CISNET’s Smoking History Generator (SHG) and its data sources. She has also expanded her modeling expertise to tobacco regulatory science and served as co-lead of the Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulations (CAsToR) - Data Analysis and Dissemination (DAD) Core funded by FDA-NIH TCORS 2.0. Dr. Jeon has extensive experience with population data analysis, simulation modeling, and statistical analysis to explore various public health problems on tobacco and its related diseases.
Thuy Le
University of Michigan
Thuy Le
University of Michigan: Assistant Research Scientist, Health Management and Policy
Position: Research Project 2
Roles: New Investigator, Pilot PI Alumni
Webpage: sph.umich.edu
UM Experts: experts.umich.edu
Pilot: tcors.umich.edu
Ritesh Mistry, PhD
University of Michigan
Ritesh Mistry, PhD
University of Michigan: Associate Professor, Health Behavior and Health Education, Associate Professor of Global Health
Positions: Career Enhancement Core (CEC); Research Project 4
Webpage: sph.umich.edu
UM Experts: experts.umich.edu
Ritesh Mistry, PhD
Dr. Ritesh Mistry is Core Lead for the Career Enhancement Core (CEC) and co-Investigator of Project 4 and a member of the CAsToR Steering Committee. Dr. Mistry is an Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, Associate Professor of Global Health at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on evaluating health disparities in smoking trends, as well as adolescent tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposures in global settings.
Luz Sanchez Romero
Georgetown University
Luz Sanchez Romero
Georgetown University: Assistant Professor
Position: Research Project 1
Roles: Co-Investigator, New Investigator, Research Scientist
Webpage: georgetown.edu
Luz Sanchez Romero
Dr. Luz Sánchez Romero serves as a co-lead for Research Project 1. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Oncology at Georgetown University School of Medicine and a member of the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET) Lung Working Group. Dr. Sánchez Romero research focuses on the development, adaptation and implementation of population simulation models, with the goal to assess the potential health impact of non-communicable diseases risk factor preventive policies. She is an expert in the epidemiology of risk factors such as tobacco and obesity and its impact on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Cardiovascular Disease at a national and international level. In particular, my interest lies in providing evidence-based and expert-informed modeling of the behavioral and public health impacts of tobacco regulations.
Jamie Tam, PhD, MPH
Yale University
Jamie Tam, PhD, MPH
Yale University: Assistant Professor of Health Policy, Addiction Medicine
Position: Research Project 4
Role: Co-Investigator
Webpage: ysph.yale.edu
Pilot: tcors.umich.edu
Jamie Tam, PhD, MPH
Dr. Jamie Tam is Co-Investigator of Project 4 and co-PI of the Yale CAsToR site. She is a co-Investigator for the NCI-funded Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network (CISNET) lung group, as well as a member of the Yale Cancer Center and the Yale Program in Addiction Medicine. Her research uses modeling methods to evaluate long-term population health outcomes and related disparities associated with changes in the tobacco policy, treatment, and regulatory environment, particularly for people with mental and behavioral health conditions.

External Advisory Committee

Neal Benowitz, MD
University of California - San Francisco
Neal Benowitz, MD
University of California - San Francisco: Professor, Medicine
Roles: Consultant, External Advisory Committee
Webpage: profiles.ucsf.edu
Kenneth Cummings, PhD, MPH
University of South Carolina
Kenneth Cummings, PhD, MPH
University of South Carolina: Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Role: External Advisory Committee
Webpage: education.musc.edu
Cristine Delnevo, PhD, MPH
Rutgers University
Cristine Delnevo, PhD, MPH
Rutgers University: Professor, Health Behavior, Society and Policy
Role: External Advisory Committee
Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies: ints.rutgers.edu
Maciej L. Goniewicz, PharmD, PhD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Maciej L. Goniewicz, PharmD, PhD
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center: Professor of Oncology
Role: External Advisory Committee
Webpage: roswellpark.org
Ross Hammond, PhD
Brookings Institution • Washington University in St. Louis
Ross Hammond, PhD
Brookings Institution: Director, Center on Social Dynamics and Policy
Washington University in St. Louis: Betty Brown Professor
Role: External Advisory Committee
Ross Hammond, PhD
Dr. Hammond is the Betty Brown Professor in Public Health and Social Policy in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. He is also Director of the Center on Social Dynamics & Policy and a Senior Fellow in Economics at The Brookings Institution. His research applies complex systems science to challenging policy problems. Current topics include pandemic containment, obesity, tobacco control, the food system, health disparities, and decision-making. He has authored numerous articles in top journals such as Lancet, Science, JAMA, Nature Medicine, PNAS, Tobacco Control, and the American Journal of Public Health. His work has been featured in The Atlantic Monthly, the New Scientist, and Salon, and covered by NPR, The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, and major news outlets. Ross is an advisory Special Government Employee at the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, and serves on the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academies of Science. He has been a member of multiple large-scale NIH scientific networks focused on computational modeling, and served on several National Academy of Sciences consensus panels as well as the recent Lancet Commission on Obesity. He holds additional academic appointments at the Harvard School of Public Health, the Santa Fe Institute, and the Australian National University.
Lisa Henriksen, PhD
Stanford University
Lisa Henriksen, PhD
Stanford University: Senior Research Scientist
Role: External Advisory Committee
Webpage: prevention.stanford.edu
Scott Leischow, PhD
Arizona State University
Scott Leischow, PhD
Arizona State University: Research Professor, College of Health Solutions
Role: External Advisory Committee
Webpage: search.asu.edu
Scott Leischow, PhD
Scott J. Leischow joined Arizona State University in June 2017, and until he retired in 2022 was a tenured Professor and the Executive Director of Clinical and Translational Science. He is currently a Research Professor in the College of Health Solutions. Dr. Leischow developed and implemented the Affinity Network and Translational Teams (ANTT) initiative that fosters transdisciplinary collaboration, as well as the Clinical and Community Translational Science (CCTS) initiative that fosters expanded and improved translational research. Prior to ASU, Dr. Leischow was at the Mayo Clinic Arizona from 2012-2017, where he led the Research on Health Equity and Community Health (REACH) Program and co-led cancer prevention and control within the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. He was formerly an Associate Director at the University of Arizona Cancer Center and also served as Chief of the Tobacco Control Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute within National Institutes of Health and Senior Advisor for Tobacco Policy in the Office of the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Leischow completed his doctorate in Health Education from the University of Maryland, and a postdoctoral fellowship in Behavioral Pharmacology from Johns Hopkins University. Most of the work implemented by Dr. Leischow is translational in nature and dedicated to moving research into practice and policy. His research and publications focus on pharmacologic and behavioral treatments for tobacco dependence, tobacco regulatory science, and systems and network approaches to population health. Dr. Leischow has conducted numerous clinical studies over the past 25 years investigating the safety and efficacy of potential medications for smoking cessation, and many of his 100+ publications are in that area. In addition, Dr. Leischow has made significant contributions to telehealth behavioral interventions for smoking cessaton. Dr. Leischow created and implemented the Arizona Smokers Helpline, the third state quitline in the U.S. While at NCI and DHHS, he also played a leadership role in the development and implementation of the national smoking cessation quitline network, national smoking cessation website (smokefree.gov) and the national tollfree quitline number (1-800-QUITNOW). Dr. Leischow has also been actively involved in research to characterize the role of social and organizational networks for understanding collaboration, knowledge flow, and dissemination & implementation of evidence-based practices, primarily to improve tobacco control. Such network research initiatives have been implemented in multiple environments globally. In addition, Dr. Leischow has conducted research on the role of social media regarding e-cigarette use. Dr. Leischow has received multiple awards, including the NIH Director's Award, and he is past president of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT).
Robin J. Mermelstein, PhD
University of Illinois - Chicago
Robin J. Mermelstein, PhD
University of Illinois - Chicago: Professor of Psychology and IHRP Director
Role: External Advisory Committee
Webpage: publichealth.uic.edu
Nancy Ann Rigotti, MD
Harvard University
Nancy Ann Rigotti, MD
Harvard University: Professor
Role: External Advisory Committee
Webpage: massgeneral.org

Center Administrative Staff

Molly Coeling
University of Michigan
Molly Coeling
University of Michigan: Project Coordinator
Molly Coeling
Molly Coeling is the Project Coordinator for CAsToR’s Career Enhancement Core (CEC) and Project 2. She holds a Master of Public Health degree in Health Management & Policy from the University of Michigan. Molly has extensive project management experience; her previous work includes primary data collection and intervention work in youth violence prevention research at the University of Chicago and community-based cancer prevention research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Molly is responsible for coordinating all trainee activities through the CEC, such as organizing training events and workshops, administering the pilot funds program, and managing program reporting and evaluation. Molly also coordinates the activities of Project 2.
Amanda Dudley
University of Michigan
Amanda Dudley
University of Michigan: CAsToR Center Manager
Amanda Dudley
Amanda Dudley is the Center Manager for the University of Michigan and Georgetown University, Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (CAsToR). Amanda has a master’s degree in medical sociology with an emphasis in use of information technology in addressing health disparities. Amanda has over 20+ years research administrative experience and was the lead administrator on two other NIH funded centers in the past. Amanda is primarily responsible for the administrative oversight of the center overall, it’s three research projects, four support cores and the numerous subcontracts operating within the center.
Evelyn Jimenez Mendoza
University of Michigan
Evelyn Jimenez Mendoza
University of Michigan: Research Area Specialist Senior
Evelyn Jimenez Mendoza
Evelyn Jimenez Mendoza, is the Data Coordinator of the Data Analysis and Dissemination (DAD) Core of the Center. She is a Research Assistant at the University of Michigan with a Master's degree in Epidemiology. Evelyn worked previously in the Tobacco Control Center at the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico and participated in the design and implementation of a nationally representative survey. Her main responsibilities are to ensure uniformly high standards of data collection, as well as consistent measures of tobacco use across research projects.
Sukhinder Khattra
British Columbia Cancer Research Institute
Sukhinder Khattra
British Columbia Cancer Research Institute: Staff
Sukhinder Khattra
Sukhinder Atkar-Khattra is the Project Manager at BC Cancer. She holds a Biology degree from the University of Calgary. Sukhinder has over 25+ years in extensive project management experience and was the lead administrator on the Pan-Canadian Early detection Study and the International Lung Screen trial. Sukhinder is the creator and manager of the BC Lung Health Study database. Sukhinder coordinates CAsToR's activities at BC Cancer and is responsible for administrative and fiscal management of the BC Cancer sub-award, and coordination with the UM admin team.
Nargiz Travis
Georgetown University
Nargiz Travis
Georgetown University: Project Director
Nargiz Travis
Nargiz Travis is the Project Director for CAsToR’s Georgetown University site with a focus on Projects 1 and 3, as well as the RAID Core. She has a master’s degree in public health with a focus on Epidemiology from Freie University Berlin in Germany and over 9 years of experience in cardiovascular epidemiology and healthcare research. Her responsibilities at the Center include day-to-day project coordination and support in conducting scientific work and model development.
Robin Wylie
University of Michigan
Robin Wylie
University of Michigan: Web Developer / Administrator

NIH & Federal Partners

Neal Freedman
National Cancer Institute, NIH
Role: National Cancer Institute Representative
Jonathan Kwan
Center for Tobacco Products, Office of Science, FDA
Role: CTP Project Coordinator
Stephanie R Land
National Cancer Institute, NIH
Role: NIH Project Scientist
Webpage: staffprofiles.cancer.gov
Rachel Mandal
Tobacco Regulatory Science Program, Office of Disease Prevention, NIH
Role: NIH TRSP Project Coordinator
Maria Roditis
National Cancer Institute, NIH
Role: NIH Program Official
Brian Rostron
Center for Tobacco Products, Office of Science, FDA
Role: CTP Project Coordinator
Esther Salazar
Center for Tobacco Products, Office of Science, FDA
Role: CTP Project Coordinator