Maya Vijayaraghavan

Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, MAS is a Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. She is a practicing general internist and researcher specializing in tobacco control with a focus on populations experiencing homelessness. As Director of the UCSF Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, she leads initiatives to eliminate disparities in tobacco use prevalence among behavioral health populations. Her work spans individual, community, health systems, and policy levels to increase access to cessation services for vulnerable populations.

Dr. Vijayaraghavan's educational background includes:

• Bachelor of Science from Brown University
• Medical Degree from Boston University School of Medicine (2006)
• Internal Medicine Residency at Columbia University Medical Center/New York Presbyterian (2009)
• Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) from University of California, San Francisco (2011)

Dr. Vijayaraghavan's research focuses on tobacco control interventions for vulnerable populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness. Her work examines smoke-free policies in permanent supportive housing, community-based cessation programs, and the intersection of tobacco use with mental health and substance use disorders. She has developed innovative approaches including contingency management interventions and community-pharmacy linked cessation programs tailored for homeless populations. Her research consistently addresses health disparities and aims to create equitable access to tobacco treatment across diverse healthcare settings.

An analysis of Dr. Vijayaraghavan's recent publications reveals a strong emphasis on tobacco control among vulnerable populations, particularly those experiencing homelessness, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders. Her research spans multiple disciplines including public health, behavioral science, housing policy, and clinical medicine. Key themes include the implementation of smoke-free policies in supportive housing, the development of tailored cessation interventions for homeless populations, and the integration of tobacco treatment into behavioral health systems. Her work increasingly incorporates implementation science frameworks to translate research into practice and policy.

Dr. Vijayaraghavan leads multiple significant research initiatives funded by major organizations including the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP), National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), and San Francisco Cancer Initiative (SFCAN). Her current projects include a cluster randomized controlled trial of smoke-free home interventions across 38 permanent supportive housing sites, a contingency management smoking cessation intervention for homeless adults in safety-net clinics, and a community-pharmacy linked cessation program. She also co-directs a NIDA-funded postdoctoral training program at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education focused on tobacco and substance use research.