Andrew A. Strasser

Andrew A. Strasser, Ph.D., is a Research Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine and holds a secondary appointment at the Annenberg School for Communication. He directs the Biobehavioral Smoking Laboratory and leads the TCORS 2.0 research initiative (2018–2023). His work focuses on tobacco regulatory science, including nicotine content regulation, health warning labels, and tobacco product design. Strasser has over 20 years of experience in biobehavioral health research, analyzing smoking behavior biomarkers and the impact of advertising on risk perception.

Education: B.A. (General Arts and Sciences) and Ph.D. (Biobehavioral Health) from Pennsylvania State University (1995, 2002). Additional training includes a P.Bac. (Pre-Medicine) from the same institution (1997).

Research Interests: Strasser investigates behavioral variations in smoking, including compensatory smoking patterns and the effects of cigarette design on biomarkers. His health communication work uses physiological measures like eye tracking to study how tobacco marketing misleads consumers and how health campaigns correct perceptions. Key areas include low nicotine regulation, youth vaping trends, and the efficacy of FDA-authorized tobacco product claims.

Grants & Collaborations: Received a $3.49M grant to study vaping among LGBTQ+ youth. His work integrates behavioral science with policy advocacy, contributing to FDA regulatory frameworks and public health campaigns.

Labs & Teams: Directs the Biobehavioral Smoking Laboratory and co-leads the Tobacco and Environmental Carcinogenesis Program at the Abramson Cancer Center. Collaborates with the Annenberg Public Policy Center on communication strategies for tobacco control.