Research Summary

I am Professor of Medicine and Bioengineering & Therapeutic Sciences and Chief of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology at San Francisco General Hospital. With over 500 publications, I am a leading authority on the human pharmacology of nicotine and nicotine addiction. My laboratory also is a leading site for biomarker assessment of tobacco toxicant exposure. I am former president of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT), and the recipient of the Ove Ferno SRNT Award for Clinical Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. I have been a contributing author or editor to six US Surgeon General's Reports on tobacco including the 2010 Surgeon General's Report—How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease: The Biology and Behavioral Basis for Smoking-Attributable Disease.

Research Funding

  • July 1, 1977 - June 30, 2025 - Clinical Pharmacology, Drug Action and Pharmacogenetics , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: T32GM007546
  • September 1, 1999 - May 31, 2025 - Drug Dependence Clinical Research Program , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P30DA012393
  • August 5, 1999 - May 31, 2023 - Cancer Center Support Grant , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P30CA082103
  • August 15, 2018 - July 31, 2022 - Cigarette Harm Reduction with Scheduled Electronic Cigarette Use , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01DA045519
  • June 1, 2015 - June 30, 2022 - Clinical Pharmacology of Electronic Cigarettes , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DA039264
  • April 1, 2013 - March 31, 2021 - Technology Innovations for Supporting Health in Alaska Native People , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01HL117736
  • September 15, 2005 - June 30, 2016 - Pharmacogenetics of Nicotine Addiction Treatment , Co-Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01DA020830
  • May 1, 2012 - March 31, 2016 - Mechanisms of the Nicotine Metabolism Effect on Tobacco Dependence , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DA031193
  • March 1, 1979 - June 30, 2014 - Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Nicotine , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DA002277
  • June 1, 1999 - November 30, 2010 - Safety of Nicotine Reduction Strategy , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA078603
  • October 1, 1974 - November 30, 2007 - General Clinical Research Center , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: M01RR000083
  • March 1, 1979 - June 30, 2003 - PHARMACOKINETICS AND PHARMACODYNAMICS OF NICOTINE , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R37DA002277
  • February 1, 1978 - August 31, 2000 - DRUG DEPENDENCE CLINICAL RESEARCH PROGRAM , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P50DA001696
  • July 1, 1995 - June 30, 1998 - NICOTINE METABOLISM IN PREGNANCY , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DA009761
  • July 1, 1982 - June 30, 1990 - NICOTINE AND TAR INTAKE DURING CIGARETTE SMOKING , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA032389
  • September 1, 1982 - August 31, 1986 - PHARMACOLOGY OF NICOTINE IN HUMAN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01HL029476

Education

Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY, MD, 1969, Medicine
Bronx Municipal Hospital Center, Bronx, New York, Intern and Resident, Internal Medicine, 1969-1971
Fellow in Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, 1971-1972

Honors & Awards

  • Oscar B. Hunter Award
  • Ove Ferno Award
  • 2002
  • UCSF Annual Distinguished Clinical Research Lecturer
  • Rawls Palmer Award for Progress in Medicine
  • Alton Ochsner Award Relating Smoking and Health
  • 1994-2002
  • NIDA Merit Award
  • American Board of Internal Medicine (Diplomate, 1968)
  • American Board of Medical Toxicology
  • American Board of Clinical Pharmacology
  • American Federation for Clinical Research (President 1996 to 1997)
  • American Society for Clinical Inves-tigation
  • American Society of Clinical Pharma-cology and Therapeutics
  • American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
  • Association of American Physicians
  • Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (President, 1996-1997)

Selected Publications

  1. Brouwer AF, Shafie-Khorassani F, Benowitz N, Shi N, Baker TB, Hayes-Birchler T, Piper ME. Urinary Tobacco and Nicotine Exposure Biomarkers as Predictors of Transitions between Cigarette and e-Cigarette Use in the Exhale Longitudinal Cohort Study. Nicotine Tob Res. 2026 Feb 24; 28(3):446-453. View on PubMed
  2. Klemperer EM, Luo X, Cao Q, Carroll DM, McClernon FJ, Benowitz NL, Strasser AA, Tidey JW, Donny EC, Hatsukami DK. Sustained effects of reduced nicotine cigarettes and co-use of non-combusted alternative nicotine delivery systems: A one-month follow-up to a randomized clinical trial. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2026 Feb 01; 279:113051. View on PubMed
  3. Matt GE, Benowitz NL. California's New Landmark Thirdhand Smoke Disclosure Law. JAMA. 2025 Dec 23; 334(24):2157-2158. View on PubMed
  4. Matt GE, Benowitz NL, California Collaborative Consortium on Thirdhand Smoke. Thirdhand smoke disclosure in real estate: California adopts novel tobacco control and prevention legislation. Tob Control. 2025 Dec 10. View on PubMed
  5. Smith TT, Luo X, Benowitz NL, Colby SM, McClernon FJ, Strasser AA, Tidey JW, Donny EC, Hatsukami DK. The Impact of Nicotine Reduction on Cigarette Reinforcement Value Within a Marketplace Containing Alternative Nicotine Delivery Products: A Secondary Analysis of a Multi-Site Trial. Nicotine Tob Res. 2025 Nov 23; 27(12):2240-2246. View on PubMed
  6. Wu AHB, Benowitz N. Theoretical and retrograde calculation of blood alcohol: wide estimates using the Academy Standards Board for calculations over an extended period of time. Lab Med. 2025 Nov 22; 56(6):829-831. View on PubMed
  7. Zhang J, Benowitz NL, Dai HD. Susceptibility to E-Cigarette and Cigarette Use Among U.S. Adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2026 Feb; 78(2):332-340. View on PubMed
  8. Nieto A, Zhang C, Zhu W, Reese C, Piper ME, Benowitz NL, Blount BC, Bhandari D. Assessing the Urinary Cyanoethyl Mercapturic Acid to Cotinine Ratio for Classifying Tobacco Use Status in a Longitudinal Cohort of Cigarette, e-Cigarette, and Dual Users. Nicotine Tob Res. 2025 Oct 24. View on PubMed
  9. Allen AM, Cao Q, Stayer LG, Luo X, Jensen J, Pang RD, Allen S, Donny EC, Benowitz N, Smith T, Hatsukami D. Differences in Combustible Cigarette Smoking-Related Biomarkers by Hormonal Contraceptive Use: An Exploratory Study. Nicotine Tob Res. 2025 Oct 22; 27(11):2022-2027. View on PubMed
  10. Pesko MF, Hartmann-Boyce J, Fung RYL, Benowitz NL. E-Cigarettes in Historical Context-Innovation, Risk, and Regulation. JAMA Health Forum. 2025 Oct 03; 6(10):e254629. View on PubMed
  11. Hatsukami DK, Jensen JA, Carroll DM, Luo X, Strayer LG, Cao Q, Hecht SS, Murphy SE, Carmella SG, Denlinger-Apte RL, Colby S, Strasser AA, McClernon FJ, Tidey J, Benowitz NL, Donny EC. Corrigendum to Reduced nicotine in cigarettes in a marketplace with alternative nicotine systems: randomized clinical trial. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2025 Nov; 51:101244. View on PubMed
  12. Nichols AL, Marotta CB, Lukas H, Friesenhahn NJ, Wagenaar DA, Mayo SL, Dougherty DA, Benowitz NL, Gao W, Muthusamy AK, Lester HA. Continuous Nicotine Monitors for Personal Nicotine Pharmacokinetics: A Receptor-Aware Research Agenda. Nicotine Tob Res. 2025 Aug 22; 27(9):1499-1512. View on PubMed
  13. Christen SE, Bekka E, Schmid Y, Benowitz NL, Liakoni E. Caffeine, nicotine, cannabis, and psilocybin: Pharmacology, toxicology, and potential therapeutic uses of four naturally occurring psychoactive substances. Swiss Med Wkly. 2025 07 01; 155:4346. View on PubMed
  14. Rigotti NA, Benowitz NL, Prochaska JJ, Rubinstein M, Clarke A, Blumenstein B, Cain DF, Jacobs C. Cytisinicline for Smoking Cessation: The ORCA Phase 3 Replication Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2025 Jun 01; 185(6):648-655. View on PubMed
  15. Mir H, Eisenberg MJ, Benowitz NL, Cowley E, Heshmati J, Jha P, Khara M, Mullen KA, Ofori SN, Rigotti NA, San Cartier R. Canadian Cardiovascular Society Clinical Practice Update on Contemporary Approaches to Smoking Cessation. Can J Cardiol. 2025 May; 41(5):797-812. View on PubMed
  16. St Helen G, Havel C, Addo N, Criner N, Jacob P, Benowitz N. Using a loose-leaf vaporizer to study tobacco-cannabis co-administration: A proof-of-concept study. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Jul 01; 272:112678. View on PubMed
  17. Benowitz NL. Predicting Cardiovascular Risk With Use of Various Tobacco Products. Circulation. 2025 Apr 08; 151(14):1006-1008. View on PubMed
  18. Benowitz NL, Yang HY, Jacob P, St Helen G. Nicotine Dosimetry in Evaluating Electronic Cigarettes Compared to Cigarette Smoking: Implications for Tobacco Regulatory Science. Chem Res Toxicol. 2025 Apr 21; 38(4):686-694. View on PubMed
  19. Rezk-Hanna M, Ben Taleb Z, Benowitz NL. Nicotine levels in flavoured hookah (waterpipe) tobacco products: discrepancies between labelled and measured levels. Tob Control. 2025 Jan 11. View on PubMed
  20. Dennison Himmelfarb CR, Benowitz NL, Blank MD, Bhatnagar A, Chase PJ, Davis EM, Fetterman JL, Keller-Hamilton B, Ogungbe O, Page RL, Rezk-Hanna M, Robertson RM, Whitsel LP, American Heart Association Advocacy Coordinating Committee. Impact of Smokeless Oral Nicotine Products on Cardiovascular Disease: Implications for Policy, Prevention, and Treatment: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2025 Jan 07; 151(1):e1-e21. View on PubMed

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