Professor
Education and Training
DrPH, 1999 - Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
MPH, 1994 - Public Health, University of California, Berkeley
MS, 1990 - Nursing, The Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
1986 - Hospital Management, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
BSN, 1985 - Nursing, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro
Biography
I have worked in tobacco and cancer control for over 30 years nationally and internationally. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of death and disease and a modifiable cause of health disparities.
I have worked extensively with the World Health Organization and other international organizations, and have engaged with a range of national and international civil society groups, particularly in the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a UN health treaty.
I have worked with several agencies, including the WHO and National Cancer Institute in the development of monographs and white papers on tobacco, cancer and NCDs control and the role of the tobacco industry in undermining public health.
Additionally, since 2001 I have collaborated with Dean Linda Sarna (UCLA) in establishing the Tobacco Free Nurses initiative, working in the US and abroad to support capacity building of nurses to engage in tobacco control and policy.I was the President of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care from 2014 to 2018.
I have worked extensively with the World Health Organization and other international organizations, and have engaged with a range of national and international civil society groups, particularly in the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a UN health treaty.
I have worked with several agencies, including the WHO and National Cancer Institute in the development of monographs and white papers on tobacco, cancer and NCDs control and the role of the tobacco industry in undermining public health.
Additionally, since 2001 I have collaborated with Dean Linda Sarna (UCLA) in establishing the Tobacco Free Nurses initiative, working in the US and abroad to support capacity building of nurses to engage in tobacco control and policy.I was the President of the International Society of Nurses in Cancer Care from 2014 to 2018.
Associated Programs
- PhD, Nursing
- PhD, Sociology
Research Interests
August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2027 - Addressing disparities in tobacco-related diseases by understanding the tobacco industry strategies , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA268491
September 16, 2021 - August 31, 2026 - Integrating tobacco use cessation into HIV Care and Treatment in Ministry of Health Facilities in Kisumu County, Kenya , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01CA261620
October 1, 2019 - September 30, 2023 - The Political Economy of Tobacco Production and Control in Mozambique and Zimbabwe , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
July 7, 2020 - June 6, 2022 - Interactive Mobile Doctor (iMD) to Promote Tobacco Cessation among Cancer Patients , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: TRDRP, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
December 1, 2018 - November 30, 2021 - Policy Analysis to Denormalize Tobacco Use in CA-Pacific Parks and Beaches , Mentor . Sponsor: TRDRP, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
October 1, 2019 - March 31, 2021 - Implementing and Evaluating a Palliative Wound Care and Palliative Care Nursing Educational Program at Ocean Road Cancer Institute , PI . Sponsor: Celgene Cancer Care Links, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
July 1, 2016 - December 30, 2018 - California, trade pacts, tobacco control: lessons to learned , PI . Sponsor: TRDRP, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
January 1, 2017 - - Building Effective Tobacco Advocates: The BETA Project , Mentor . Sponsor: African Capacity Building Foundation, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
October 1, 2013 - September 30, 2016 - The Eastern Europe Nurses Centre of Excellence for Tobacco Control. , Co-PI . Sponsor: Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation Bridging Cancer Care Initiative, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2014 - Eastern Europe Helping Smokers Quit (EE-HSQ): Czech Republic and Poland. , Co-PI . Sponsor: Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, Bridging Cancer Care, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
- - Adapting a smoking cessation intervention distance-learning program to educate nurses in China , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: Pfizer Medical Education Grants, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
- - Training Nursing Champions in Tobacco Control in the Czech Republic , Co-PI . Sponsor: Bristol Meyers Squibb Foundation, Bridging Cancer Care Program, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
- - Tobacco Free Nurses , Co-PI . Sponsor: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
- - From guideline to practice: a nursing intervention to help smokers quit , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sponsor Award ID: unknown
Publications
Efforts to Secure Nicotine and Cannabis Product Placements in Popular Media by Ploom, Pax, and Juul: An Analysis of Tobacco Industry Documents.
Publication Year
2026
Exploring a Road Map to Achieving Tobacco Endgame in sub-Saharan Africa: A Qualitative Study Among Stakeholders From 12 Countries.
Publication Year
2026
Leveraging the power and potential of the nursing voice globally to lead in tobacco control.
Publication Year
2026
TAAT hemp cigarettes' unsubstantiated cessation and harm reduction claims.
Publication Year
2025