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CAsToR

e-Announcements

A BI-MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER OF CASTOR HIGHLIGHTS, EVENTS & MORE
 
ISSUE II VOLUME I       December 8, 2023          2 U54 CA229974
CASTOR FUNDED FOR FIVE MORE YEARS
The University of Michigan, Georgetown University, and the BC Cancer Research Institute’s Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulations (CAsToR) is one of the 7 centers funded as part of TCORS 3.0. The CAsToR award totaling $20 million dollars will provide an additional 5 years of funding to support the Center’s work studying the impact of tobacco regulations on tobacco use patterns and downstream health effects. Congratulations to all CAsToR investigators.
Read more about the CAsToR's second round of funding here
CAsToR is pleased to announce the launch of a Massive Open Online Course, "Tobacco & Nicotine: Public Health, Science, Policy and Law"
Learn more about the course and its 18 noted experts here
JUNIOR INVESTIGATOR

CAsToR Alumnus 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. Dr. Mattingly shares his educational and career history, explains how his work contributed to CAsToR modeling work and offers two pieces of advice regarding how we can effectively and equitably answer research questions in tobacco regulatory science.
View Dr. Mattingly's Featured Video Here
CAsToR has over 80 investigators; to date we have published over 130 publications in many leading public health journals, discussing findings ranging from Sociodemographic Patterns of Tobacco Use to the Dynamics of Smoking and E-cigarettes Use Prevalence

Below are links to recent publications. 
Please access the CAsToR Website for a more complete listing. 
CAsToR co-Principal Investigator, Dr. Rafael Meza, Research Fellow, Dr. Pianpian Pao and Investigator Dr. Jihyoun Jeon published, "Trends in US Adult Smoking Prevalence, 2011 to 2022" in JAMA Health Forum.

The article investigates if smoking is still decreasing among US adults.  Read more about the author's findings  here
View the Editor's interview of Dr. Meza here
Access additional media coverage of the article here
Junior Investigator, Dr. Thuy Le recently published the article, "Key Risk Factors Associated with Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems Use Among Adolescents" in JAMA Network Open.

The article discusses the most important factors associated with ENDS use in the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) wave 5.  Read more about the author's findings  here
Access the November CAsToR DAM Beaver Bulletin to read about the newly derived variables available for use in our DAD harmonized datasets.  

Read more in the Beaver Bulletin November issue here
PIANPIAN CAO
 
 
I’m joining the Department of Health Services Research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a tenure-track assistant professor, starting on December 1st, 2023. I will continue my career as an independent investigator, focusing on developing quantitative models and methods to improve cancer prevention, early detection, and survivorship. For instance, my upcoming projects involve leading investigations into potential strategies aimed at further reducing lung cancer incidence, recurrence, and mortality burdens in the United States. Additionally, I aim to develop innovative methods for studying disease progression and survivorship, with a particular emphasis on identifying effective strategies to enhance survival outcomes among cancer patients, using prostate and breast cancer as primary examples.

My experience with CAsToR has been invaluable. As a CAsToR trainee, I am sincerely grateful for Drs. Rafael Meza and Jihyoun Jeon’s mentorship. They have provided unwavering support across every aspect of my career, from research projects to career guidance, interview tips, mock job talks, and much more! Other faculty, staff, and fellow students, such as Dr. Andrew Brouwer, Sarah Skolnick, Evelyn Mendoza, and Yoonseo Mok, among others, within CAsToR, have been incredibly supportive and responsive, fostering an environment conducive to idea exchange and inspiration. The workshops and webinars hosted by CAsToR have proven immensely beneficial, and I would appreciate additional webinars focusing on career advice and grant writing.
 
(JOB OPENING)

Postdoctoral Fellow in Tobacco Regulatory Policy Implementation
 
The Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulations (CAsToR) invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship focused on tobacco regulatory policy implementation and dissemination. The fellow will be housed within one of four CAsToR institutions: the University of Michigan, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Yale University, or Georgetown University. The fellow will serve as a central node of activity for the Policy Analysis and Dissemination Core, a project tasked with increasing the understanding and deepening the interface between tobacco control research and policy implementation. The PAD core’s role is to draw lessons from existing evidence and policies worldwide to provide insights to US policymakers and beyond. We will do this through case studies of tobacco control policies in other jurisdictions, reviewing available literature, and translating academic findings into practice.

LEARN MORE AND APPLY FOR THIS POSITION
(JOB OPENING)
Training opportunity in tobacco simulation modeling and American Indian and Alaska Native health (YALE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH)
 
Commercial tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities, who have the highest smoking rates of any racial/ethnic group in the US. Tobacco simulation models are being used to evaluate the impact of tobacco control policies and guide decision-making, but they have not yet been developed for American Indian populations. There is a need for modeling research that guides policymaking to reduce tobacco use and improve AIAN health outcomes. The Center for the Assessment for Tobacco Regulations (CAsToR) is working in partnership with expert consultants at the Black Hills Center for American Indian Health to meet this need.

LEARN MORE AND APPLY FOR THIS POSITION
Michigan Public Health Master of Science Degree in Computational Epidemiology and Systems Modeling

In this program, students are trained to become highly skilled epidemiologists who can understand and analyze public health problems with mathematical and statistical models. 

Epidemiological models and simulation-based analyses are increasingly used to inform public health policy and practice. Notably, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, government agencies, policy-makers and others have used epidemiological models to help inform decision-making and slow the spread of the virus.
More Info on this New M.S. Degree from the University of Michigan
Please access the CAsToR Website for additional information on any of the items highlighted in our announcements.
TCORS 3.0: CENTER FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF TOBACCO REGULATIONS (CASTOR): UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AND GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
M5158 SPH II   |   1415 Washington Heights   |   Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2029

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