Sarah Kowitt, PhD, MPH, adjunct prof successful the UNC Department of Family Medicine, was precocious awarded a five-year, $762,196 assistance by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01 grant) focuses connected baccy regulatory probe successful youth, specifically connected however to pass the harms of aggregate baccy products that younker whitethorn beryllium using—referred to arsenic aggregate baccy merchandise (MTP) use—instead of conscionable 1 merchandise astatine a time.
Sarah Kowitt, PhD, MPH, adjunct prof successful the UNC Department of Family Medicine, was precocious awarded a five-year, $762,196 assistance by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award (K01 grant) focuses connected baccy regulatory probe successful youth, specifically connected however to pass the harms of aggregate baccy products that younker whitethorn beryllium using—referred to arsenic aggregate baccy merchandise (MTP) use—instead of conscionable 1 merchandise astatine a time.
In 2021, astir 1 successful 3 younker who utilized baccy products utilized 2 oregon much of these products simultaneously, which translates to astir 580,000 precocious schoolhouse students. With astir preventative messaging against vaping and smoking lone addressing 1 oregon the other, Kowitt recognized the value of addressing some of them simultaneously. “From a nationalist wellness standpoint, focusing connected preventing baccy use, particularly during adolescence and young adulthood erstwhile astir baccy usage starts, tin beryllium 1 of the champion investments for wellness promotion and illness prevention,” Kowitt states, noting baccy usage is the starring preventable origin of decease and illness successful the U.S.
The vocation improvement grant volition integrate processing skills and expertise successful wellness connection and experimental research. The value of Kowitt’s survey cannot beryllium said without the information that successful 2021 the occurrence complaint for being awarded 1 of these grants from the NIH was conscionable 31% arsenic stressed by Kowitt’s colleague, Adam Goldstein, MD, MPH, Director of UNC’s Tobacco Intervention Programs. Kowitt’s mentorship squad consists of Goldstein (primary mentor), Seth Noar, PhD, MA, and Allison J. Lazard, PhD, MS, who each worked unneurotic connected UNC’s archetypal Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS) center, arsenic good arsenic James Thrasher, PhD, MA, MS, a starring baccy researcher from the University of South Carolina.
“I americium truthful excited to get started connected this important probe to make and measure messages astir the harms of aggregate baccy merchandise usage among youth,” says Kowitt. As module astatine UNC Family Medicine and a subordinate of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Kowitt’s probe focuses connected preventing and reducing younker and young big substance use, including tobacco, cannabis, and intoxicant use. She has published much than 55 peer-reviewed papers successful journals including Health Affairs, JAMA Network Open, Addiction, Journal of Adolescent Health, Tobacco Control, Nicotine, Tobacco Research, Addictive Behaviors, and Health & Place.