Kevin Welding

Kevin Welding, PhD, MA, is an Associate Scientist in the Department of Health, Behavior & Society at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Associate Director of the Institute for Global Tobacco Control. His research focuses on corporate influence on public health, particularly tobacco industry practices and policy compliance. He holds advanced degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara (PhD in Economics) and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro (MA).

Welding’s work bridges economics and public health, addressing illicit trade dynamics, tobacco packaging strategies, and the impact of policy interventions. His research spans global contexts, with significant contributions to understanding illicit cigarette markets in Brazil, Mexico, and other LMICs. He also examines emerging markets for e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.

Key research interests include: tobacco industry marketing tactics, fiscal policy analysis, and the commercial determinants of health. His recent work evaluates post-pandemic cigarette market shifts and the role of cultural symbols in cigarette branding.

Welding leads the Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS) project, analyzing global tobacco product packaging trends. He has published extensively in Tobacco Control, Addiction, and other peer-reviewed journals, with a focus on methodological innovations for estimating illicit trade and assessing policy effectiveness.

His current projects emphasize cross-border collaboration in tobacco control and capacity-building for low-resource settings through low-cost training initiatives.