Friday, September 29, 2023
9/29/2023
Tobacco Online Policy Seminar 2022 Abstract The Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) series has established itself as a leading venue for disseminating policy-relevant tobacco research, attracting an audience of 120 attendees on average. The goal of TOPS is to provide a free multidisciplinary, international forum for research using experimental or quasi-experimental variation (i.e., a well-defined counterfactual for the treatment group) to study nicotine-tobacco policies, with a particular interest in emerging tobacco products and modified risk tobacco products. This forum is designed to bring together academics, government scientists, students/trainees, funders, healthcare professionals, and advocates, with the goal of breaking silos in tobacco policy research and providing a platform for high-quality research to be discussed and disseminated. The ultimate goal of the forum is to facilitate the production and sharing of knowledge that can be used to develop an effective tobacco policy framework. TOPS strives to be a respectful, inclusive, and diverse forum, with participants and attendees united around the concept of presenting and learning from tobacco research using study designs that can provide evidence of causal effects rather than correlations or trend analyses. TOPS was conceptualized and is managed by an Executive Board of four tobacco control researchers: Johanna Catherine Maclean, Michael Pesko, Ce Shang, and Justin White. TOPS is supported by an advisory board of 35 experts in tobacco control research. Since September 2020, TOPS has had a research seminar every two weeks and has averaged 117 people per seminar. The aims of this conference grant are to: 1) continue TOPS and ensure that the series is maximally informative to the FDA and other researchers in the field; 2) provide new opportunities for TOPS attendees, particularly trainees and FDA-funded researchers, to meet with seminar presenters to discuss research and professional development; and 3) create a consultant service for tobacco regulatory scientists interested in using experimental or quasi- experimental method designs in their own research. To meet these aims, the TOPS Executive Board will meet regularly throughout the year to continue planning and hosting TOPS seminars. The Executive Board will recruit people to submit papers on specific topics (e.g., tobacco product flavors, nicotine reduction) that highlight the Tobacco Regulatory Science Program’s research priorities. The conference grant will also support the effort of a part-time administrator to oversee day-to-day activities of TOPS, including scheduling meetings between seminar presenters and attendees and serving as a point person for a new consultant service for tobacco regulatory scientists interested in using experimental or quasi-experimental method designs in their own research.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
