Ruth Malone

Ruth Malone is a Professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Nursing, renowned for her groundbreaking research on tobacco industry strategies and public health policy. As Principal Investigator on over 20 NIH-funded projects since 2001, she leads tobacco control research focusing on endgame strategies to eliminate cigarette sales, health disparities, and corporate accountability. She served as Editor-in-Chief of Tobacco Control, the field's leading journal, and has significantly influenced global advocacy through her publications and speeches.

• Education: A.S. in Nursing (Southern Oregon College), B.S.N. and M.S. in Community Health/Cross-Cultural Nursing, Ph.D. in Nursing (UCSF), Postdoctoral Fellow in Health Policy/Health Services Research (UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies).

Her research explores tobacco control policy implementation, corporate social responsibility, and intersections between public health and social action. She has pioneered endgame frameworks for tobacco eradication and examined industry targeting of marginalized groups.

Key awards include the Sybil Jacobs Award for use of tobacco industry documents, Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award, multiple teaching and mentoring accolades, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Public Health Association. Her recent work advocates for phasing out cigarette sales, advancing people-first language in health communication, and addressing equity in tobacco policy.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Sybil Jacobs Award (2006)
  • Fulbright Distinguished Scholar (2007-08)
  • Excellence in Teaching Award (2011)
  • Harold Luft Mentoring Award (2012)
  • Humprey Oei Distinguished Lecture (2013)
  • Helen Nahm Research Award (2014)
  • Nursing Alumni/Mary Harms Chair (2014)
  • Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)
  • Jane Norbeck Distinguished Alumna (2020)
  • Mentor of the Year (2020)

Malone's grants include NIH funding for projects on retail policy innovation, US military tobacco control, business initiatives, and policy implementation barriers. She has mentored numerous doctoral students and contributed to global tobacco control discourse through her editorship and keynote presentations.