STEP-UP: Doctoral Dissertation Grants

1. STEP-UP: Doctoral Dissertation Grants Annice E. Kim, MPH University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health ASPH STEP-UP Tobacco Workshop – St. Louis – April 16, 2004

2. Overview • Purpose of funding mechanism • Summary of doctoral student projects • Successes and challenges • Recommendations

3. Purpose of Funding “ASPH anticipates that STEP UP doctoral dissertation scholarships will further progress towards strengthening the pool of competent teachers and researchers specializing in tobacco studies at the highest levels of academic study.”

4. Funding Mechanism • Competitive grant application • Faculty-mentored research • $30k annual budget up to 2 years • Quarterly budget/ progress reports • Executive summary of findings • From 2002 – 2005, awarded: • 6 doctoral students • ~$300,000 total

5. Doctoral Dissertation Grantees

6. Stacey Kenfield, MPH(Harvard SPH) Title: “Effects of smoking and smoking cessation in women” Goal: To examine the relationship between smoking, smoking cessation, and total and cause-specific mortality and to model the effects of risk factors on lung cancer incidence using the Nurses Health Study dataset

7. Annice Kim, MPH (UNC SPH) Title: “Pricing and promotional strategies used to sell cigarettes on the Internet” Goal: To assess pricing and promotional strategies Internet cigarette vendors employ to sell tobacco online and to explore how these factors influence adult smokers’ decisions to purchase cigarettes online Advisor: Dr. Kurt Ribisl

8. Theresa Osypuk, MPH (Harvard SPH) Title: “Variation in State Smoking Rates by Race and Class” Goal: To examine differences among states’ smoking prevalence rates, for different racial/ethnic and socioeconomic groups using multi-level modeling techniques Advisor: Dr. Dolores Acevedo-Garcia

9. Eric Pevzner, MPH (UNC – SPH) Title: “Tackle Smoking Project: Randomized Trial to Promote Compliance with Tobacco-Free School Policies in North Carolina” Goal: Randomized trial of NC high schools to assess compliance with Tobacco Free School policies and to test an intervention to reduce smoking at high school football games in NC Advisor: Dr. Kurt Ribisl

10. Stephanie Smith, MPH (Johns Hopkins) Title: “The College Freshman Nicotine Study” Goal: To assess knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that full-time college freshmen attending JHU have pertaining to nicotine, products that contain nicotine, and nicotine addiction. Advisor: Dr. Fran Stillman

11. Rebecca Williams, MHS (UNC SPH) Title: “To what extent do Internet cigarette vendors comply with AB1830, California’s new youth access law?” Goal:Assess compliance with AB1830, a California law passed in 2002 to regulate what Internet cigarette vendors must do to prevent sales to minors. Advisor: Dr. Kurt Ribisl

12. Research Topics • Harm reduction products • Internet cigarette sales • Race/SES disparities • Compliance with tobacco policies • Youth access • Cessation among women

13. Challenges • Not allocating enough grant time • Inexperience with budget issues • Delays with processing/ crediting grant at the university end • In essence, the “usual” challenges

14. Successes • Financial support • Freedom to pursue own research • Experience managing grants • ASPH staff support and flexibility • Networking and presentation skills • Mentoring relationships • Led to subsequent grants

15. Recommendations • Continue funding dissertation awards • Bridge the gap between generation of researchers through mentoring • Explicate future areas of research • Increase training in multidisciplinary content areas • Recognize/award mentors • Offer opportunities to submit research for peer review publication