Research Summary

My cancer-related research focuses on the prevention of tobacco-related cancer. Tobacco is responsible for 35% of cancer deaths, and my work aims to understand the strategies used to promote tobacco uptake and continued use by the tobacco industry, and how to counter-engineer these strategies to improve tobacco control and cancer prevention programs and policies. I am recognized internationally as an expert in tobacco marketing strategies targeting specific audiences, particularly young adults and women, and the use of social culture in tobacco marketing and counter-marketing campaigns. I have been Principal Investigator continuously funded by the National Cancer Institute since 2009 to study the marketing of tobacco products and improving and evaluating tobacco control and cessation programs for young people.

I am Director of the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, and the Principal Investigator of the UCSF FDA Tobacco Center of Excellence on Regulatory Science (TCORS). I directed the Postdoctoral Fellowship Training Program at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education from 2005-2020. I have supervised over 100 postdoctoral research fellows and students in a wide variety of disciplines including social and behavioral science, communication, anthropology, history, economics, clinical medicine, sociology, and health education. I am excited to continue to integrate tobacco research and training activities with the activities of SF CAN and the Cancer Control Program.

Research Funding

  • September 9, 2024 - August 31, 2029 - Social media support groups for adolescent vaping cessation , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA292971
  • July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2028 - Postdoctoral training in tobacco control , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: T32DA057216
  • August 1, 2022 - July 31, 2027 - Addressing disparities in tobacco-related diseases by understanding the tobacco industry strategies , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA268491
  • July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2025 - Understanding tobacco and cannabis co-use in young adult priority populations in California , Subcontract Principal Investigator . Sponsor: Tobacco Related Diseases Research Program, Sponsor Award ID: T32 IR4927
  • July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2024 - Social media intervention to stop nicotine and cannabis vaping among adolescents , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: Tobacco Related Diseases Research Program, Sponsor Award ID: T31 IR1910
  • September 19, 2013 - August 31, 2023 - Integrated Health, Behavioral and Economic Research on Current and Emerging Tobacco Products , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U54HL147127
  • September 1, 2009 - July 31, 2021 - Understanding Smokeless Tobacco and Electronic Cigarette Marketing , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA141661
  • July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2021 - Postdoctoral training in tobacco control , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: T32CA113710

Education

Harvard & Radcliffe Colleges, A.B., 1990, History and Science
University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, M.D., 1996, Medicine
University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, M.P.H., 2000, Interdisciplinary Public Health
University of California San Francisco Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, 1999-2002, media interventions, social marketing

Honors & Awards

  • 1986
    National Merit Scholar
  • 1990
    Phi Beta Kappa, Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Harvard University
  • 1991
    Regent's Scholar, UCSF
  • 2004
    Stewart Trust Research Award, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • 2005
    Most important and influential papers in Tobacco Control. Three papers voted by peers into the top ten in youth and tobacco advertising categories
  • 2005, 2011, 2018
    Outstanding Mentorship Award. Nominee. Postdoctoral Scholar's Association, UCSF
  • 2008
    Best Young Clinician-Investigator Award. Society for General Internal Medicine California/Hawaii Region
  • 2012
    Robert H Crede Award Winner, Excellence in Research, Division of General Internal Medicine, UCSF
  • 2015
    UCSF 150th Anniversary Alumni Excellence Award Winner, Alumni Association of UCSF
  • 2016
    Member
    American Society for Clinical Investigation
  • 2020
    John Ziegler Mentoring Award Nominee, Masters in Global Health Program, UCSF
  • 2021
    Hal Luft Mentoring Award in Health Services Research, Institute for Health Policy Studies, UCSF

Selected Publications

  1. Tran TPT, Tran C, Ling PM, Popova L, Nguyen N Applying Human-Centered Design to Develop Smartphone-Based Intervention Messages to Help Young Adults Quit Using E-Cigarettes and Cigarettes: A Remote User Testing Study.  View on PubMed
  2. Wakefield T, Bialous S, Ling P, Apollonio DE Efforts to secure nicotine and cannabis product placements in popular media by Ploom, Pax, and Juul: an analysis of tobacco industry documents.  View on PubMed
  3. Do VV, Ta Park VM, Nguyen N, Ling PM, Tzuang M, Nam B, Dougan MM, Meyer OL, Tsoh JY Use of Cigarettes, Cannabis, and Alcohol Among Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Adults: Community-Based National Survey Analysis.  View on PubMed
  4. Do VV, Ling PM, Keyhani S, Marcus GM, Thrul J, Nguyen N Real-Time Antecedents of Young Adults' Vaping and Co-Vaping of Nicotine and Cannabis: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study.  View on PubMed
  5. Mohammadi SM, Ling P, Apollonio DE, Bialous S A framework for researching the waterpipe tobacco business sector in the United States.  View on PubMed
  6. Pravosud V, Ling PM, Halpern-Felsher B, Gribben V Adolescents' Interest in Quitting Nicotine or Cannabis E-Cigarettes.  View on PubMed
  7. Wakefield TD, Iniguez R, Bialous S, Ling P, Apollonio DE Tobacco industry efforts to harness the voice and influence of community organisations.  View on PubMed
  8. Allison A. Temourian, Pamela M. Ling, Vuong V., Nhung Nguyen Racial and ethnic disparities in cannabis use among U.S. youth who use tobacco: Findings from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study.  View on PubMed
  9. Mohammadi SM, Ling PM, Apollonio DE, Bialous S Utilisation of waterpipe tobacco imagery in cigarette advertising: a case study of American tobacco company and RJ Reynolds tobacco company.  View on PubMed
  10. Ling PM, Krishnan-Sarin S, Leventhal AM, Pentz MA Tobacco and cannabis co-use in young people: developing a collaborative research agenda to address an evolving problem.  View on PubMed
  11. Han E, Feng M, Ling P Building an Analytical Framework for Tobacco-Related Misinformation on Social Media: An Exploratory Analysis with Generative AI Assistance.  View on PubMed
  12. Lyu JC, Ozga JE, Stanton CA, Hrywna M, Ganz O, Cornacchione Ross J, Sharma A, Ling PM Advertising the leading US nicotine pouch brand: a content analysis of ZYN advertisements from 2019 to 2023.  View on PubMed
  13. Regan T, Devkota J, McQuoid J, Lopez-Paguyo K, Nguyen N, Meacham MC, Ling PM, Thrul J. Real-time antecedents of cannabis use among young adults: An Ecological Momentary Assessment study. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol. 2025 May 05.  View on PubMed
  14. Han E, Crosbie E, Ling P, Perez S, Khan H, Hiatt R, Kearns C Tobacco industry influence on breast cancer research, policy and public opinion: scoping the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents.  View on PubMed
  15. McQuoid J, Blackwell M, Bradley D, Durazo A, Frank-Pearce SG, Heffner JL, Islam S, Le M, Ling PM, Pan S, Raye T, Tan ASL, Vogel EA, Wilson M, Kendzor DE "It took me on a journey other than just to stop smoking": Pilot trial outcomes of an Empowerment Theory-based smoking cessation intervention for sexual and/or gender minoritized people in Oklahoma.  View on PubMed
  16. Ling PM, Goetzl EJ The Reply.  View on PubMed
  17. Karla D Llanes, Maya Vijayaraghavan, Sara Schneider, Pamela M Ling, Evi Hernandez, Paul Brunetta, Anna V Song, Arturo Durazo Digital Smoking Cessation Preferences of Predominately Low Income and Latino residents of the San Joaquin Valley in California: A Qualitative Study (Preprint).  View on PubMed
  18. Eileen L. Han, Benjamin W. Chaffee, Pamela M. Ling. Tobacco and Oral Health Misinformation on Twitter (X): Implications for Dental Professionals. Journal of the California Dental Association. 2025 Mar 11; 53(1):2474830.  View on PubMed
  19. Timothy Regan, Janardan Devkota, Julia McQuoid, Kekoa Lopez-Paguyo, Nhung Nguyen, Meredith Meacham, Pamela Ling, Johannes Thrul. M37 Real-Time Predictors of Cannabis Use Among Young Adults: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study. Drug and Alcohol Dependence. 2025 Feb 1; 267:111631.  View on PubMed
  20. Ling PM, Glantz SA. Historical and political context for Philip Morris International's continuing medical education courses on harm reduction. Tob Control. 2025 Jan 03.  View on PubMed

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