Tobacco Research at MUSC

Matthew J. Carpenter, Ph.D., is the Flora McLeod Edwards Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research and a clinical psychologist with strong research expertise in behavioral science, particularly addictive behaviors and smoking cessation. In his associate director role, he provides strategic direction, research leadership, and program development to advance behavioral, epidemiologic, and population science across the cancer continuum, with an emphasis on cancer prevention, early detection, health disparities, survivorship, and implementation science.

Dr. Cumming's training and research interests are in the study of health related behaviors, especially tobacco use prevention and cessation. His research is primarily population based with a focus on smoking cessation, consumer risk perceptions, the impact of cigarette design on smoking behaviors, and the evaluation of public policies on tobacco use behaviors. Recognized internationally for his work in tobacco epidemiology and smoking cessation, Dr. Cummings has guided global public policy and regulations in the marketing and distribution of nicotine products. This work has involved designing studies to understand factors involved in predicting uptake and cessation of tobacco use and the testing of interventions to alter tobacco use behaviors at both the individual and population level. In 2002, Dr. Cummings established the International Tobacco Research Policy Evaluation Project (ITC Project) to evaluate the behavioral impacts of national level tobacco control policies implemented as part of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This international project began in 2002 and involves over 100 scientific colleagues from more than 20 countries and includes a wide range of research projects ranging from those focused on biological factors that influence tobacco use to the impact of health warnings and public education campaigns on representative populations of smokers. As part of his work with the ITC Project he has served as the PI on three large multi-institutional NIH grants (P50 CA111236: 2004-2009, P01 CA138389: 2009-2016, P01 CA200512: 2016-2021).  Data from the ITC Project has become an important source of the evidence base used by governments and public health advocates to support tobacco control policy initiatives around the world. Over his 35-year career he has directed more than 70 grants and contracts and has published over 430 scientific papers including landmark reports for the Office of the Surgeon General, the National Cancer Institute, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and the Institute of Medicine.

The Innovation Sciences Unit is led by Dr. Jennifer Dahne, an Associate Professor within the Addiction Sciences Division of the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Dahne is an academic entrepreneur who has received five small business grants from various NIH institutes (NIMH, NIDA, NCATS, NIMHD) totaling more than $3M. Dr. Dahne has co-founded two faculty-led spinout companies, both of which are in the digital health space. Dr. Dahne has led the development, evaluation, and commercialization of five commercially available digital health products to date. These products have been evaluated via rigorous randomized clinical trials which have accrued more than 1,000 patients. In addition to entrepreneurial ventures, Dr. Dahne directs a research laboratory within the Addiction Sciences Division that has received numerous traditional NIH grant awards including R01, R21, and K23 funding. Dr. Dahne is passionate about translating academic innovations into products that can be widely disseminated and commercialized in order to improve public health.

As Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dr. Gray is dedicated to accelerating growth, collaboration, and impact across the tripartite missions of patient care, education, and research. Nationally, he serves in senior leadership roles with the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Within MUSC, his leadership has spanned division, department, college, and university roles. Complementing his work as an active clinician, educator, and mentor, Dr. Gray’s highly collaborative and productive program of clinical research—continuously supported by the National Institutes of Health throughout his career—is focused on understanding and addressing youth substance use and mental health. This work has yielded national and international acclaim, reinforcing MUSC’s strong standing on the world stage.

Dr. Gray grew up in South Carolina and obtained his bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering at Clemson University and his medical degree at MUSC. He completed psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at MUSC. A proud product of South Carolina public schools, Dr. Gray is passionate about “paying forward” opportunities to develop careers, provide outstanding care, and advance health statewide and beyond.

Dr. Erin A. McClure is a behavioral psychologist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. McClure earned her B.S. in Psychology and Neuroscience from Allegheny College and her Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Florida. The overarching goal of Dr. McClure’s program of research is broadly focused on reducing the harmful impact of cannabis and tobacco/nicotine product use across the lifespan. Her research has focused on refining and evaluating strategies to improve long-term abstinence and prevent relapse, as well as pursuing harm reduction strategies to minimize the adverse impact of substance use; all utilizing technology to improve remote procedures and data quality, as well as to increase reach and accessibility.

Research Interests: Dr. Rojewski is a psychologist with a focus on cancer control. Her research interests include tobacco treatment interventions for populations with medical comorbidities and implementing tobacco treatment interventions in the health care system.

The overarching goal of my research is to test policies and interventions with the goal of reducing the prevalence of smoking and tobacco-related cancer. One arm of my research focuses on tobacco product regulations that reduce the addictiveness and appeal of cigarettes. Over a decade of my work has documented that public health could be improved with a policy that requires a reduction in the nicotine content of cigarettes. Further, one of my ongoing research projects focuses on the impact of a cigarette menthol ban on smoking behavior. Another arm of my research focuses on whether noncombustible tobacco products, like e-cigarettes, can serve as harm reduction tools among adults who smoke cigarettes. I have several ongoing clinical trials testing the harm reduction potential of alternative tobacco products.

Benjamin Toll, Ph.D., a professor of public health sciences and psychiatry at MUSC, specializes in the treatment of tobacco use disorders and improvement of health behaviors. As associate director, his goal is to provide well-structured and effective education and training opportunities for pre- and post-doctoral students and junior faculty at Hollings Cancer Center.

Dr. Palmer (she/her) is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and a Research Member of the Hollings Cancer Control Program. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist with the MUSC Health Tobacco Treatment Program and supervises pre-doctoral clinical psychology interns in the Charleston Consortium. Dr. Palmer's research interests include health psychology and behavioral medicine, with an emphasis on tobacco use and cessation. Her most recent research projects focus on the use of e-cigarettes, oral nicotine pouches, and harm reduction.

Dr. Palmer received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Florida, and she completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at MUSC.

Executive Council

The overarching goal of Dr. Tomko's research is to improve treatment outcomes for individuals with substance use disorders by understanding individual differences in substance use disorder presentation and identifying which treatments are optimal for a specific individual.