Kari-Lyn Sakuma

Kari-Lyn Sakuma is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Health Behavior within the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University. She holds a PhD in Preventive Medicine with an emphasis in health behavior and an MPH in Biostatistics and Epidemiology from the University of Southern California. Her academic journey includes prior roles as a Research Assistant Professor at Claremont Graduate University, a lecturer at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, and a research associate at Pennsylvania State University. She joined Oregon State in 2014 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to her current rank.

• PhD in Preventive Medicine (Health Behavior Research), University of Southern California
• MPH in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Southern California

Her research centers on health disparities, particularly racial and ethnic inequities in tobacco use, with a focus on new and emerging products such as e-cigarettes and hookah. She investigates how marketing influences African American youth and young adults, and how social determinants like ZIP code affect health outcomes. Her work extends to co-parenting, sibling relationships, obesity prevention, and substance use interventions. Funded by the NIH and FDA, her research directly informs tobacco control policy and aims to reduce health inequities.

Her recent publications, primarily from 2017 to 2024, reveal a strong focus on tobacco use patterns across diverse populations, including Latino, Asian American, and African American communities. Using advanced methods like latent class analysis, she identifies subgroups at higher risk and evaluates disparities in smoking behavior, cancer screening, and cessation. Her work also examines digital marketing of e-cigarettes, nicotine metabolism, and the impact of state-level tobacco policies. These studies collectively emphasize health equity, behavioral interventions, and policy-relevant findings.

Kari-Lyn Sakuma has received research funding from prestigious agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), though specific awards are not listed in the text. She actively mentors graduate students and collaborates with faculty such as Peggy Dolcini, Joe Catania, Jangho Yoon, Jeff Luck, and Brian Flay. She is accepting new PhD and MPH students and is involved with the Hallie E. Ford Center for Healthy Children and Families.

She leads and contributes to interdisciplinary research teams focused on tobacco control, family dynamics, and youth health. Her projects include the New and Emerging Tobacco Research Study (NETS) and PROJECT HORNET, which explore health opinions and behaviors regarding new tobacco products. She also works with county tobacco coalitions to address disparities in rural and low-income communities.