Suzaynn Schick, PhD

Associate Professor
Medicine
+1 415 514-3535

I study the health effects of air pollution in human subjects. I focus on the chemistry and toxicity of smoke and on how exposure to tobacco or cannabis smoke can cause heart and lung disease. My analysis of tobacco industry research showed that sidestream cigarette smoke (the primary constituent of secondhand cigarette smoke) is more toxic than the smoke that smokers inhale and that secondhand smoke becomes more toxic as it ages.

My research on the chemistry and toxicity of cigarette smoke has helped define a new health risk from smoking: thirdhand cigarette smoke. Thirdhand smoke is the tiny droplets of oils and waxes (tar) that stick to surfaces, like walls, furniture, clothing and hair. Thirdhand smoke cannot be removed by ventilation. Many of the toxins and carcinogens in smoke linger for days, months and years after the cigarettes are gone. My laboratory is funded by the California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program to study how humans absorb thirdhand smoke from the environment.

I am also studying the effects of cannabis use on air quality in public places and the chemistry and toxicity of cannabis product emissions like dab aerosol.

I am member of the California Thirdhand Smoke Consortium, the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education. My goals are to understand how smoke causes heart attacks and respiratory disease and to educate society on the true impact that air pollution has on human health.

Publications: 

Impairment of Endothelial Function by Aerosol From Marijuana Leaf Vaporizers.

Journal of the American Heart Association

Liu J, Nabavizadeh P, Rao P, Derakhshandeh R, Han DD, Guo R, Murphy MB, Cheng J, Schick SF, Springer ML

Leached Compounds from Smoked Cigarettes and Their Potential for Bioaccumulation in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Chemical research in toxicology

Richardot WH, Yabes L, Wei HH, Dodder NG, Watanabe K, Cibor A, Schick SF, Novotny TE, Gersberg R, Hoh E

Impairment of Endothelial Function by Cigarette Smoke and e-Cigarette Aerosol Requires RAGE.

Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology

Han DD, Rao P, Qiu H, Navabzadeh M, Wang X, Goyal N, Mohammadi L, Huang A, Perez BG, Schick SF, Springer ML

Respiratory Exposure to Thirdhand Cigarette Smoke Increases Concentrations of Urinary Metabolites of Nicotine.

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Pratt K, Hilty A, Jacob P, Schick SF

Policy-relevant differences between secondhand and thirdhand smoke: strengthening protections from involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke pollutants.

Tobacco control

Matt GE, Greiner L, Record RA, Wipfli H, Long J, Dodder NG, Hoh E, Lopez Galvez N, Novotny TE, Quintana PJE, Destaillats H, Tang X, Snijders AM, Mao JH, Hang B, Schick S, Jacob P, Talbot P, Mahabee-Gittens EM, Merianos AL, Northrup TF, Gundel L, Benowitz NL

Chronic E-Cigarette Use Impairs Endothelial Function on the Physiological and Cellular Levels.

Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology

Mohammadi L, Han DD, Xu F, Huang A, Derakhshandeh R, Rao P, Whitlatch A, Cheng J, Keith RJ, Hamburg NM, Ganz P, Hellman J, Schick SF, Springer ML

Impairment of Endothelial Function by Cigarette Smoke Is Not Caused by a Specific Smoke Constituent, but by Vagal Input From the Airway.

Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology

Nabavizadeh P, Liu J, Rao P, Ibrahim S, Han DD, Derakhshandeh R, Qiu H, Wang X, Glantz SA, Schick SF, Springer ML

Thirdhand Exposures to Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines through Inhalation, Dust Ingestion, Dermal Uptake, and Epidermal Chemistry.

Environmental science & technology

Tang X, Benowitz N, Gundel L, Hang B, Havel CM, Hoh E, Jacob Iii P, Mao JH, Martins-Green M, Matt GE, Quintana PJE, Russell ML, Sarker A, Schick SF, Snijders AM, Destaillats H

PM2.5 Concentrations in the Smoking Lounge of a Cannabis Store

Environ. Sci Technol Lett.

Huang AS, Murphy MBC, Jacob P, Schick SF

Genetic background influences the effect of thirdhand smoke exposure on anxiety and memory in Collaborative Cross mice.

Scientific reports

He L, Wang P, Schick SF, Huang A, Jacob P, Yang X, Xia Y, Snijders AM, Mao JH, Chang H, Hang B

PM2.5 Concentrations in a Cannabis Store with On-Site Consumption.

Environmental health perspectives

Murphy MB, Huang AS, Schick SF

Thirdhand cigarette smoke leads to age-dependent and persistent alterations in the cecal microbiome of mice.

MicrobiologyOpen

He L, Zhou YX, Zhang Y, Hang B, Chang H, Schick SF, Celniker SE, Xia Y, Snijders AM, Mao JH

Thirdhand smoke exposure causes replication stress and impaired transcription in human lung cells.

Environmental and molecular mutagenesis

Sarker AH, Trego KS, Zhang W, Jacob P, Snijders AM, Mao JH, Schick SF, Cooper PK, Hang B

Thirdhand Smoke at Philip Morris.

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Whitlatch A, Schick S

Assessing Toxicity and In Vitro Bioactivity of Smoked Cigarette Leachate Using Cell-Based Assays and Chemical Analysis.

Chemical research in toxicology

Xu EG, Richardot WH, Li S, Buruaem L, Wei HH, Dodder NG, Schick SF, Novotny T, Schlenk D, Gersberg RM, Hoh E

Proceedings of the 15th Conference of the International Society of Indoor Air Quality & Climate, Philadelphia, PA, USA July 22 to 27, 2018

Measuring Aerosol Particle Emissions from Cannabis Vaporization and Dabbing

Jaques, PA, Zalay, M, Huang, A, Jee, K, Schick, SF.

Modeling Cardiovascular Risks of E-Cigarettes With Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Endothelial Cells.

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Lee WH, Ong SG, Zhou Y, Tian L, Bae HR, Baker N, Whitlatch A, Mohammadi L, Guo H, Nadeau KC, Springer ML, Schick SF, Bhatnagar A, Wu JC

Cardiovascular injury induced by tobacco products: Assessment of risk factors and biomarkers of harm A Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) Compilation.

American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology

Conklin DJ, Schick SF, Blaha MJ, Carll AP, DeFilippis A, Ganz P, Hall ME, Hamburg NM, O'Toole TE, Reynolds LM, Srivastava S, Bhatnagar A

Cigarette smoke exposure worsens acute lung injury in antibiotic-treated bacterial pneumonia in mice.

American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology

Gotts JE, Chun LF, Abbott J, Fang X, Takasaki N, Nishimura SL, Springer ML, Schick SF, Calfee CS, Matthay MA

Short-term early exposure to thirdhand cigarette smoke increases lung cancer incidence in mice.

Clinical science (London, England : 1979)

Hang B, Wang Y, Huang Y, Wang P, Langley SA, Bi L, Sarker AH, Schick SF, Havel C, Jacob P, Benowitz N, Destaillats H, Tang X, Xia Y, Jen KY, Gundel LA, Mao JH, Snijders AM

Biomarkers of exposure to new and emerging tobacco delivery products.

American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology

Schick SF, Blount BC, Jacob P, Saliba NA, Bernert JT, El Hellani A, Jatlow P, Pappas RS, Wang L, Foulds J, Ghosh A, Hecht SS, Gomez JC, Martin JR, Mesaros C, Srivastava S, St Helen G, Tarran R, Lorkiewicz PK, Blair IA, Kimmel HL, Doerschuk CM, Benowitz NL, Bhatnagar A

Early exposure to thirdhand cigarette smoke affects body mass and the development of immunity in mice.

Scientific reports

Hang B, Snijders AM, Huang Y, Schick SF, Wang P, Xia Y, Havel C, Jacob P, Benowitz N, Destaillats H, Gundel LA, Mao JH

Thirdhand Smoke: New Evidence, Challenges, and Future Directions.

Chemical research in toxicology

Jacob P, Benowitz NL, Destaillats H, Gundel L, Hang B, Martins-Green M, Matt GE, Quintana PJ, Samet JM, Schick SF, Talbot P, Aquilina NJ, Hovell MF, Mao JH, Whitehead TP

One Minute of Marijuana Secondhand Smoke Exposure Substantially Impairs Vascular Endothelial Function.

Journal of the American Heart Association

Wang X, Derakhshandeh R, Liu J, Narayan S, Nabavizadeh P, Le S, Danforth OM, Pinnamaneni K, Rodriguez HJ, Luu E, Sievers RE, Schick SF, Glantz SA, Springer ML

From the Cover: Thirdhand Cigarette Smoke Causes Stress-Induced Mitochondrial Hyperfusion and Alters the Transcriptional Profile of Stem Cells.

Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology

Bahl V, Johnson K, Phandthong R, Zahedi A, Schick SF, Talbot P

Corrigendum: Metabolomics reveals metabolic changes in male reproductive cells exposed to thirdhand smoke.

Scientific reports

Xu B, Chen M, Yao M, Ji X, Mao Z, Tang W, Qiao S, Schick SF, Mao JH, Hang B, Xia Y

Impairment of Endothelial Function by Little Cigar Secondhand Smoke.

Tobacco regulatory science

Liu J, Wang X, Narayan S, Glantz SA, Schick SF, Springer ML

Cytotoxicity of Thirdhand Smoke and Identification of Acrolein as a Volatile Thirdhand Smoke Chemical That Inhibits Cell Proliferation.

Toxicological sciences : an official journal of the Society of Toxicology

Bahl V, Weng NJ, Schick SF, Sleiman M, Whitehead J, Ibarra A, Talbot P

Thirdhand smoke: Chemical dynamics, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity in outdoor and indoor environments.

Toxicology in vitro : an international journal published in association with BIBRA

Bahl V, Shim HJ, Jacob P, Dias K, Schick SF, Talbot P

Metabolomics reveals metabolic changes in male reproductive cells exposed to thirdhand smoke.

Scientific reports

Xu B, Chen M, Yao M, Ji X, Mao Z, Tang W, Qiao S, Schick SF, Mao JH, Hang B, Xia Y

Correction: A novel minimally-invasive method to sample human endothelial cells for molecular profiling.

PloS one

Waldo SW, Brenner DA, McCabe JM, De la Cruz M, Long B, Narla VA, Park J, Kulkarni A, Sinclair E, Chan SY, Schick SF, Malik N, Ganz P, Hsue PY

A novel minimally-invasive method to sample human endothelial cells for molecular profiling.

PloS one

Waldo SW, Brenner DA, McCabe JM, Dela Cruz M, Long B, Narla VA, Park J, Kulkarni A, Sinclair E, Chan SY, Schick SF, Malik N, Ganz P, Hsue PY

Thirdhand cigarette smoke: factors affecting exposure and remediation.

PloS one

Bahl V, Jacob P, Havel C, Schick SF, Talbot P

Brief exposure to secondhand smoke reversibly impairs endothelial vasodilatory function.

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Pinnamaneni K, Sievers RE, Sharma R, Selchau AM, Gutierrez G, Nordsieck EJ, Su R, An S, Chen Q, Wang X, Derakhshandeh R, Aschbacher K, Heiss C, Glantz SA, Schick SF, Springer ML

Nicotelline: a proposed biomarker and environmental tracer for particulate matter derived from tobacco smoke.

Chemical research in toxicology

Jacob P, Goniewicz ML, Havel CM, Schick SF, Benowitz NL

Thirdhand cigarette smoke in an experimental chamber: evidence of surface deposition of nicotine, nitrosamines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and de novo formation of NNK.

Tobacco control

Schick SF, Farraro KF, Perrino C, Sleiman M, van de Vossenberg G, Trinh MP, Hammond SK, Jenkins BM, Balmes J

Thirdhand smoke causes DNA damage in human cells.

Mutagenesis

Hang B, Sarker AH, Havel C, Saha S, Hazra TK, Schick S, Jacob P, Rehan VK, Chenna A, Sharan D, Sleiman M, Destaillats H, Gundel LA

Thirty minute-exposure to aged cigarette smoke increases nasal congestion in nonsmokers.

Journal of toxicology and environmental health. Part A

Schick SF, van den Vossenberg G, Luo A, Whitlatch A, Jacob P, Balmes J, Shusterman D

Aerosol Science and Technology

An Apparatus for Generating Aged Cigarette Smoke for Controlled Human Exposure Studies

Suzaynn F. Schick, Kathryn F. Farraro, Jiaxi Fang, Sarah Nasir, Justin Kim,
Donald Lucas, Hofer Wong, John Balmes, D. Ken Giles, and Bryan Jenkins

The exposure-dependent effects of aged secondhand smoke on endothelial function.

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Frey PF, Ganz P, Hsue PY, Benowitz NL, Glantz SA, Balmes JR, Schick SF

Pilot evaluation of the nasal nitric oxide response to humming as an index of osteomeatal patency.

American journal of rhinology & allergy

Shusterman DJ, Weaver EM, Goldberg AN, Schick SF, Wong HH, Balmes JR

Thirdhand tobacco smoke: emerging evidence and arguments for a multidisciplinary research agenda.

Environmental health perspectives

Matt GE, Quintana PJ, Destaillats H, Gundel LA, Sleiman M, Singer BC, Jacob P, Benowitz N, Winickoff JP, Rehan V, Talbot P, Schick S, Samet J, Wang Y, Hang B, Martins-Green M, Pankow JF, Hovell MF

Thirdhand smoke: here to stay.

Tobacco control

Schick SF, Schick S

Brief secondhand smoke exposure depresses endothelial progenitor cells activity and endothelial function: sustained vascular injury and blunted nitric oxide production.

Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Heiss C, Amabile N, Lee AC, Real WM, Schick SF, Lao D, Wong ML, Jahn S, Angeli FS, Minasi P, Springer ML, Hammond SK, Glantz SA, Grossman W, Balmes JR, Yeghiazarians Y

Pilot study of compliance with healthcare facility smoking laws in Georgia.

Georgian medical news

Schick S, Gvinianidze K, Tsereteli D, Novotny T, Hammond K

The tobacco industry and the Data Quality Act.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

Schick SF, Bero LA, Cook DM

Concentrations of the carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone in sidestream cigarette smoke increase after release into indoor air: results from unpublished tobacco industry research.

Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology

Schick SF, Glantz S

Scientific analysis of second-hand smoke by the tobacco industry, 1929-1972.

Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Schick S, Glantz S

Implications of ASHRAE's guidelines for ventilation in smoking permitted areas

ASHRAE Journal

Glantz, Stanton A
Schick, Suzaynn F

Adhesive interactions in peri-implantation morphogenesis and placentation.

Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.)

Damsky Ch, Schick SF, Klimanskaya I, Stephens L, Zhou Y, Fisher S