Faculty Mentors

All CTCRE fellows have multiple mentors. Primary mentorship is provided by research mentors, with oversight and additional career mentoring by program faculty at the CTCRE. Developing a broad professional network of mentors, sponsors, and role models is a key part of postdoctoral scholars’ professional development.

Fellows choose a primary research mentor among the faculty at the CTCRE, and together the fellow and primary mentor select a secondary mentor.

CTCRE faculty focus on a broad range of topics in tobacco control spanning basic sciences to clinical and translational research.

Areas of focus:

  • Tobacco regulatory science
  • Youth tobacco use, including vaping
  • Cannabis use and its relationship to tobacco
  • Tobacco-related health disparities
  • Global tobacco control
  • Tobacco cessation
  • Tobacco control policy
  • Economic impact of tobacco use

Methodologic areas of focus:

  • Bench science
  • Tobacco industry documents research
  • Qualitative methods
  • Mixed methods
  • Randomized controlled trials
  • Observational studies
  • Econometrics and cost analysis
  • Administrative and/or electronic health record data analysis

At the beginning of the fellowship, post-doctoral scholars meet with potential faculty mentors to explore projects and mentorship. There are ample opportunities for fellows to meet CTCRE faculty during courses and seminars and Tobacco Policy Research Group (work in progress) sessions. By the end of the first 3 two-months of fellowship after their appointment starts, post-doctoral scholars will be required to have selected a primary mentor and project.  Secondary mentor selection occurs by the 5th month of the fellowship.

Scholars are welcome and encouraged to work with other UCSF scientists in addition to their primary research mentor. 

The CTCRE Center director, Dr. Pamela Ling, and the program directors, Dr. Dorie Apollonio and Dr. Maya Vijayaraghavan, also serve as career mentors and guide scholars in selecting primary and secondary mentors. Drs. Ling, Apollonio and Vijayaraghavan may also serve as primary or secondary mentors for some post-doctoral scholars.