CAsToR Postdoctoral Research Fellow Claire Ma, PhD Description: Claire Ma, PhD, is a CAsToR Postdoctoral Research Fellow with a background in political science. She describes her work on three CAsToR projects: (1) comparative case studies of tobacco flavor policy in six jurisdictions; (2) systematic reviews of tobacco-related research; and (3) research dissemination to inform diverse audiences about the most pressing issues in tobacco policy. She is excited to apply her skills to the field of tobacco regulatory science, ...
CAsToR Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Travis Whitacre, PhD Description: CAsToR Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Travis Whitacre, PhD, describes his research on the cross-section of adolescent mental health and smoking behavior. He uses applied econometric and quasi-experimental analysis using large administrative survey datasets to help inform how access to mental healthcare might affect adolescents’ tobacco product use behavior.
CAsToR junior investigator, Alyssa Crippen, PhD Description: CAsToR junior investigator, Alyssa Crippen, PhD, describes her personal journey changing her research career from geophysics to tobacco regulations modeling. She also discusses the importance of computational modeling in making this change and in conducting her current work for CAsToR, which focuses on understanding how tobacco regulations affect long-term health outcomes and health disparities.
CAsToR Junior Investigator and doctoral candidate Sarah Skolnick, MPH Description: CAsToR Junior Investigator and doctoral candidate Sarah Skolnick, MPH shares how computational modeling can be a powerful tool used to understand the complex factors surrounding racial disparities. She also discusses her journey into computational modeling and tobacco regulatory science.
CAsToR Alumni: Delvon Mattingly, PhD Description: CAsToR Alumni Delvon Mattingly, PhD, recently completed his doctoral degree in Epidemiology and began working as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. His work focuses on investigating disparities in tobacco product-specific use and associated health consequences, and he has a specific interest in factors driving racial and ethnic disparities in use, as well as ways to promote health equity. He shares his educational ...
CAsToR Junior Investigator: Chris Cadham, MPH Description: CAsToR Junior Investigator Chris Cadham, MPH and doctoral candidate, shares how his work in computational modeling led him to his current work in tobacco control, which focuses on evaluating cessation interventions and understanding the effects of regulations on flavored tobacco products. He also reflects upon what fascinates him about computational modeling and gives two pieces of advice for people who are interested in tobacco regulatory science and/or modeling. ...
CAsToR Junior Investigator: Mona Issabakhsh, PhD, MS Description: CAsToR Junior Investigator Mona Issabakhsh, PhD, MS shares how she has used her background in mathematical modeling to develop machine learning and computer simulation models that explore key questions in tobacco regulatory science, including predictors of smoking cessation success, as well as forecasting the impact of a menthol ban on the African American population.
CAsToR Junior Investigator: James Buszkiewicz, PhD, MPH Description: CAsToR Junior Investigator James Buszkiewicz, PhD, MPH discusses how his passion for social determinants of health and health equity led him to examine how the FDA’s regulatory power over cigar flavorings could be used as a tool to reduce sociodemographic inequities in tobacco-related health outcomes.
CAsToR Junior Investigator: Jamie Tam, PhD, MPH Description: CAsToR Junior Investigator Jamie Tam, PhD, MPH describes her research interests and academic journey in tobacco regulatory science and simulation modeling.
CAsToR Junior Investigator: Jana Hirschtick, PhD, MPH Description: CAsToR Junior Investigator Jana Hirschtick, PhD, MPH discusses her work as a social epidemiologist and using tobacco regulatory science to address health inequities. You can learn more about some of Jana's work with CAsToR in this webinar she co-presented in January 2021: “Longitudinal associations between exclusive and dual use of ENDS and cigarettes and cardiovascular disease among adults: Key findings and methodological considerations.”
CAsToR Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Alex Liber, PhD Description: CAsToR Early Stage Investigator Alex Liber, PhD discusses his 13 years of experience in tobacco policy & control research. His work has ranged from a current evaluation of Tobacco 21 policies using sales data to a dissertation that looked at the comparative politics behind e-cigarette regulation in a variety of international contexts. Alex brings an understanding of public policy to computational modeling to help us understand how our models can best inform ...
CAsToR Postdoctoral Research Fellow: Steve Cook, PhD Description: CAsToR Postdoctoral Research Fellow Steve Cook, PhD discusses analysis of prospective longitudinal data to better understand the role of e-cigarettes in smoking cigarettes and to examine whether there is evidence of an association between e-cigarette use and cardiovascular and respiratory health outcomes.
CAsToR Trainee and New Investigator: Thuy Le, PhD Description: CAsToR Trainee and New Investigator Thuy Le, PhD discusses the role of mathematical modeling in tobacco regulatory research.
CAsToR Trainee and Early Stage Investigator: Luis Zavala-Arciniega, MD, MSc Description: CAsToR Trainee and Early Stage Investigator Luis Zavala-Arciniega, MD, MSc discusses flavors and disparities on tobacco products among exclusive, dual and polytobacco users to evaluate the impact on potential flavoring restrictions on tobacco products.
CAsToR Early Stage Investigator: Luz Maria Sanchez-Romero, MD, MSc, PhD Description: CAsToR Early Stage Investigator Luz Maria Sanchez-Romero, MD, MSc, PhD, discusses applications of simulation modeling and the importance of multidisciplinary teams within tobacco regulatory science.
CAsToR Trainee: Omobukola ‘Buki’ Usidame Description: CAsToR trainee Omobukola “Buki” Usidame, MPA, PhD, discusses factors that influence tobacco regulatory science policies, and the evaluation of tobacco regulatory science policies to assess related health and social disparities.
