معرفی
Melissa Blank, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University, where she also serves as Director of Graduate Training and Coordinator of the Behavioral Neuroscience Program. Her research is centered on behavioral neuroscience with a focus on tobacco and nicotine addiction, relapse, and rural health disparities.
- Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University
- Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Moffitt Cancer Center
- Visiting Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University
Dr. Blank’s research explores the behavioral, physiological, and genetic determinants of smoking and tobacco use. Her work emphasizes human models of drug dependence, evaluating toxicant exposure, puff topography, cardiovascular responses, and subjective effects. She investigates novel and alternative tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco, with a focus on their abuse liability and potential for harm reduction. Her recent work includes studies on polytobacco use among youth and adults, the impact of flavored products, and tobacco use in populations with opioid dependence or living in rural areas.
Her 15 most recent publications reveal a consistent trajectory in tobacco regulatory science, with emphasis on measurement methods (e.g., puff topography), dual and polytobacco use, and the evaluation of new products. Keywords across her work include electronic cigarettes, abuse liability, nicotine delivery, behavioral assessment, toxicant exposure, and health disparities, reflecting a strong interdisciplinary approach spanning public health, behavioral neuroscience, and policy.
Scientific recognition of her work is evident through multiple competitive grants from NIDA, FDA, CDC, and state-level institutes. Key awards and funded roles include:
- Principal Investigator, NIDA/FDA R21DA051628: Predicting longitudinal patterns of change in adolescent polytobacco use
- Principal Investigator, Tobacco Regulation Pilot Research Program, VCU
- Co-Investigator, CDC U48DP006391 WV Prevention Research Center
- Site Principal Investigator, NIDA/FDA Administrative Supplement on e-cigarette topography
- Co-Principal Investigator, WVCTSI Pilot on smoking cessation and opioid treatment integration
Dr. Blank actively mentors graduate students in the Behavioral Neuroscience program, with several advising relationships resulting in completed theses and dissertations. Her trainees have gone on to academic and research positions, including assistant professorships and senior research associate roles. She has secured grant funding that supports student research and lab operations, and her future work continues to focus on tobacco regulation, health equity, and innovative laboratory methods. She leads a dynamic research team investigating cue reactivity, product modification, and behavioral interventions.
حوزههای پژوهشی
