معرفی
Jennifer Pearson is an Associate Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Public Health and serves as the Director of the Center for Drug Use, Equity and Policy Studies (C-DEPR). Her work focuses on tobacco and cannabis policy research, with particular emphasis on how product characteristics, packaging, and advertising affect consumer behavior and public health outcomes.
Dr. Pearson's educational background includes a Ph.D. from the Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns University (2011), an MPH in Community Health from George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health (2007), and a B.A. in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara (2002).
Her research primarily centers on tobacco and cannabis policy, examining how regulation of product characteristics, packaging, and advertising affects consumer behavior and public health outcomes. She investigates how e-cigarettes are used to help adult smokers quit smoking, particularly focusing on people who smoke and who use drugs. Dr. Pearson employs multiple research methods including human laboratory and experimental approaches, policy review, store audits, and qualitative and mixed methods. Her work has significant implications for tobacco control policy and public health interventions.
Dr. Pearson has authored over 130 peer-reviewed scientific articles published in high-impact journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the American Journal of Public Health, Tobacco Control, and Nicotine and Tobacco Research. Her research often focuses on the PATH Study (Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health), examining tobacco and nicotine product use patterns across different populations.
Her notable awards and honors include:
- Recognized by Web of Science as among the top 1% most cited researchers in social science (2019-2023)
- Program chair for the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Annual Conference (2023)
- Commissioner and Chair of the Public Health Subcommittee, Nevada Cannabis Advisory Commission (2020-2023)
- Nevada System of Higher Education University of Nevada, Reno Rising Researcher Award (2021)
- Deputy Editor for Nicotine and Tobacco Research (2019-2023)
- Associate Editor for Nicotine and Tobacco Research (2014-2019)
Dr. Pearson has been actively involved in mentoring students, with Cara Drake and Olufemi Erinoso listed among those she has supervised. She has secured substantial research funding from the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration, serving as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on multiple studies examining tobacco and cannabis use, policy impacts, and cessation interventions. Her current research projects include evaluating Tobacco 21 laws implementation, studying cannabis legalization's effects on nicotine and tobacco use, and investigating the impact of "natural" and "organic" cigarette descriptors.
As Director of the Center for Drug Use, Equity and Policy Studies, Dr. Pearson leads initiatives focused on reducing morbidity and mortality from drug use, with special attention to the rural West. The center provides research infrastructure and mentorship to enable faculty and students at the University of Nevada, Reno to conduct multidisciplinary research, while also training the next generation of substance use researchers and public health leaders.
