UNC Predoctoral Training Program in Tobacco Use Prevention

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UNC Pre-doctoral Training Program in Tobacco Use
Prevention Control

• Kurt M. Ribisl, Ph.D.
• Training Program Director

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Overview of Training Program

• Goals of training program
• Application and Selection of fellows
• Program Components
• Challenges

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Goals of Training Program

• Understand the fundamental issues in tobacco use
  prevention and control
• Develop research expertise by mastering a content
  area
• Become competent in research methods
• Gain mentored research experience under the
  guidance of a multidisciplinary team of mentors
  and
• Develop professional skills required for
  successful research careers (such as presenting
  research findings, writing for publication, etc).

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Program Eligibility

• 2nd year Masters students (MPH, MS, MSPH, MHA,
  MSEE) completing a tobacco-related thesis at UNC
  SPH
• Doctoral students (Ph.D. and Dr.P.H.) completing
  tobacco-related dissertation at UNC SPH
• US citizen or permanent US resident

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Application Selection

• Applications accepted Feb-April
• Application materials
• CV
• 2 page single-spaced research statement
• Career goals for tobacco control (200 words)
• Letter of support from advisor/preceptor
• Doctoral fellows can reapply for continuation
• Selection by a 3-person committee
• Director (Ribisl), Co-Director (Jackson), and
  Preceptor (Linnan)

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Training Program

• Two full stipends - 8,000-10,000 annual
• Two partial stipends - 1,000-2,000 annual.
  (students with salary support needing extra
  funding for research)
• 1,000 for conference travel for the fellows

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Training Program Components

• Mentored research for degree
• Attend and Present at Conference
• NCTOH, SRNT
• APHA
• Courses (Goldstein-tobacco control)
• Tobacco control journal club
• Research seminars

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16 Preceptors (5 Depts SPH/Med)
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Preceptors (Part 2)
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Journal Club Topics

• Impact of smoking in movies
• Secondhand smoke and breast cancer
• Master Settlement Agreement
• Global tobacco control
• Hutchinson smoking prev trial
• Effective countermarketing

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Research Seminars

• Dr. Lois Biener effective countermarketing
  messages
• Dr. Jed Rose Neurobehavioral bases of tobacco
  addiction
• Tobacco use in the entertainment industry How
  does it affect public health? (Panel)
• CDC Melissa Havard, Oona Powell
• Producer Scene Smoking

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Research Seminars
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Challenges

• Tobacco control overtaken by girth control
• Continuation funding
• Waning interest for tobacco research
• Maintaining student interest as an
  outside-of-classroom program