Tobacco Online Policy Seminar 2024 + - ABSTRACT The Tobacco Online Policy Seminar (TOPS) series has established itself as a leading venue for disseminating policy-relevant tobacco research, having hosted over 80 events in its three-year history. TOPS is a free, multidisciplinary, biweekly Zoom-based seminar series for research with tobacco policy implications using experimental or quasi-experimental study designs (i.e., with a well-defined counterfactual). This forum is designed to bring together academics, students, government employees, policy researchers, healthcare professionals, advocates, and funders, 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 to develop an effective tobacco policy framework for improving population health. 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 capable of producing results with a causal interpretation. TOPS is managed by an Executive Board of four tobacco control researchers: Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, Michael Darden, Michael Pesko, and Ce Shang. TOPS is supported by an advisory board of 37 experts in tobacco control research. Since submitting our last R13 application (Oct. 2022), TOPS has averaged 175 participants per seminar. The aims of this conference grant application are to: 1) continue TOPS and ensure that the series continues to showcase high-quality tobacco regulatory and policy-relevant research; and 2) continue existing and introduce new career development opportunities. To meet these aims, the TOPS Executive Board will meet regularly throughout the year to continue planning and hosting TOPS seminars. The conference grant will also support the effort of a part-time administrator to oversee day-to-day activities of TOPS.
