- CAsToR Workshop: AI as Your Research Writing Partner
- DATE: Thu May 21, 2026
This workshop will focus on how to work with AI tools with a collaborative approach. Topics will include:
- How to preserve your critical thinking while getting the most out of AI
- Ethical considerations
- Accepted professional norms & guidelines for different types of writing products
We will use Claude in the workshop, but the principles & skills can be adapted for use with other GenAI tools.
To participate, please contact Molly Coeling at (mcoeling@umich.edu). This workshop is open to all CAsToR-affiliated individuals.
- SPEAKERS: Dr. Ella August
- Video for “CAsToR Workshop: AI as Your Research Writing Partner”
- Crafting Public Comments for Proposed Tobacco & Nicotine Rules
- DATE: Tue Apr 21, 2026
This workshop will cover the basics of submitting public comments with a focus on how to craft effective comments, including the use of examples of what to do and what not to do.
For additional background info, please note that a webinar, “FDA Rulemaking Process and Submitting Public Comments,” was hosted in August 2025 by the AppalTRUST TCORS and will soon be available on the TRS Knowledge Center.
This event is open to all CTP-funded individuals and their teams. To participate, please register here by Friday, April 17th.Questions? Please contact Molly Coeling at (mcoeling@umich.edu).
- SPEAKERS: Dr. Holly Jarman
- Video for “Crafting Public Comments for Proposed Tobacco & Nicotine Rules”
- Forecasting the Impact of a U.S. Nicotine Reduction Standard on People with Disabilities
- DATE: Tue Apr 14, 2026
Dana Rubenstein, MD, will share her CAsToR pilot project work, which models the impact of a nicotine reduction standard (NRS) on people with disabilities. Specifically, she will cover:
- Model construction, including parameterization
- Simulation model results for projected smoking prevalence and public health harms from 2023-2100 in people with disabilities in under scenarios with and without an NRS.
- Potential public health benefits of an NRS for people with disabilities.
Questions? Please contact Molly Coeling at (mcoeling@umich.edu).
- SPEAKERS: Dana Rubenstein, MD, MHS (Transitional Year Resident, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, Atlanta, GA)
- Is Your Biosketch Compliant? — The Sequel
- DATE: Fri Feb 27, 2026
- SPEAKERS: Dr. Ella August
- Video for “Is Your Biosketch Compliant? — The Sequel”
- Is Your Biosketch Compliant?
- DATE: Wed Feb 18, 2026
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This hands-on workshop will help ensure that your biosketch is updated per the recent federal update.
As of January 25, 2026, all grant application submissions and research performance progress reports (including CAsToR’s) must be in compliance.
Join us and update your biosketch in real time! To prepare, please follow instructions here.This workshop is open to all CAsToR-affiliated individuals. To participate, please email Molly Coeling (mcoeling@umich.edu).
- SPEAKERS: Dr. Ella August
- Video for “Is Your Biosketch Compliant?”
- Introduction to tobacco mapping and modeling using System Dynamics
- DATE + TIME: Thu Sep 17, 2026 • 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM
- SPEAKERS: Kristen Hassmiller Lich, PhD, MHSA (Professor, UNC at Chapel Hill; UNC TCORS Research Project Co-Lead)
In this webinar, Kristen Hassmiller Lich, PhD, MHSA will introduce System Dynamics methods and how they can be used to understand complex tobacco prevention and control challenges and to simulate the impacts of interventions and policies on tobacco use trends. In addition to highlighting several applications, she will walk through the development of a small simulation model of youth menthol and non-menthol smoking trends.
Dr. Hassmiller Lich is a Professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and co-leads a research project with the UNC TCORS.
All registrants must be approved by CAsToR to join this webinar.
Questions? Please contact Molly Coeling at (mcoeling@umich.edu).
- Register for “Introduction to tobacco mapping and modeling using System Dynamics ”
- Get Your Paper Back on Track
- DATE + TIME: Mon Oct 05, 2026 • 12:00 PM — 1:30 PM
- SPEAKERS: Dr. Ella August
Is one of your manuscripts “stuck” in the writing, submission, or revision process?
You're not alone! Join us for a collaborative planning session led by Dr. Ella August where we'll help you identify what's holding your paper back and make a plan for moving your paper forward.
This workshop is for you if you are:
- Stuck in the writing phase and not sure how to move forward
- Dealing with a journal rejection and unsure where to submit next
- Waiting on a submission that has been under review for months without movement
- Considering a rebuttal and need guidance on how to respond strategicallyWhat to Expect:
- Share where you are stuck in a supportive, collaborative environment
- Receive constructive feedback from peers and experienced researchers
- Leave with a concrete action plan and timeline to move your paper forward
- Benefit from the collective expertise of your CAsToR colleaguesThis event is open to all CAsToR-affiliated individuals.
Questions? Please contact Molly Coeling at (mcoeling@umich.edu).
- Register for “Get Your Paper Back on Track ”
- SRNT 2027 Annual Meeting (San Francisco)
- DATES: Wed Mar 03, 2027 — Sat Mar 06, 2027
- Save the dates! Abstracts are to open June 15th to July 31st. Click here to review submission instructions (PDF). Rapids submissions will open December 2026. Learn more about the SRNT 2027 Annual Meeting.
- 2027 National Conference on Tobacco or Health (San Diego)
- DATES: Tue Jun 29, 2027 — Thu Jul 01, 2027
- Have research, policy work, or program innovations in commercial tobacco control to share? The 2027 National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) is now accepting abstract/proposal submissions ahead of the meeting, set for June 29 – July 1, 2027 in San Diego, CA. As one of the field’s premier gatherings, NCTOH connects commercial tobacco control and prevention professionals from across the country around ten program tracks, spanning evaluation and surveillance, tobacco industry, communications and media, and more. Presenters can apply for a panel presentation, individual presentation, or poster session. All abstracts/proposals are due by Monday, September 14, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET — head to the submission portal for track descriptions, format details, and to get your submission started. Direct any questions to the NNPHI planning team at NCTOH@nnphi.org. Learn more about the National Conference on Tobacco or Health.
