Research Summary

The overarching goal of our team's epidemiologic research program is to understand how various behaviors, biological attributes, and social circumstances influence health and disease distributions, often inequitably, across populations. Application of such knowledge aims to inform future public health practices, health policies, and clinical guidelines that elevate the health of patients and vulnerable communities. A research focus has been understanding tobacco use perceptions and behaviors among adolescents, particularly new and emerging products and in the context of evolving tobacco regulatory policies. Other areas of interest include engaging dental professionals in providing patients with tobacco cessation support, early-life experiences in relation to childhood oral health, and prevention-focused, patient-tailored approaches to manage oral disease.

Research Funding

  • August 1, 2024 - April 30, 2028 - Economic Stressors and Opportunities as Influences of Emerging Adult Oral Health , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01DE033953
  • March 1, 2024 - February 28, 2027 - Teens, Nicotine, and Tobacco Project , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: California Dept. Public Health, Sponsor Award ID: 23-10363
  • March 1, 2021 - February 29, 2024 - Teens, Nicotine, and Tobacco Project , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: California Dept. Public Health, Sponsor Award ID: 20-10026
  • September 1, 2018 - August 31, 2023 - Integrated Health, Behavioral and Economic Research on Current and Emerging Tobacco Products , Project Leader (Project 4) . Sponsor: NIH/NHLBI, Sponsor Award ID: U54 HL147127
  • October 1, 2017 - June 30, 2022 - Dental Public Health Training & Technical Assistance Center , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: California Dept. Public Health, Sponsor Award ID: 17-10592
  • September 1, 2013 - August 31, 2018 - Improved Models to Inform Tobacco Product Regulation , Project Leader (Project 3) . Sponsor: NIH/NCI, Sponsor Award ID: P50 CA180890
  • September 24, 2008 - May 31, 2017 - Center to Address Disparities in Children's Oral Health , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH/NIDCR, Sponsor Award ID: U54 DE019285
  • July 1, 2011 - December 31, 2012 - Maternal Nutrition Education and Early Childhood Caries: A Randomized Field Trial , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: F30DE022208

Education

Williams College, Williamstown, BA, 06/2002, biology and chemistry
University of California San Francisco, DDS, 06/2008, dentistry
University of California Berkeley, MPH, 05/2009, epidemiology
University of California Berkeley, PhD, 05/2013, epidemiology

Honors & Awards

  • 2008
    American Association of Oral Biologists Oral Biology Award, UCSF
  • 2010
    Lloyd F. Richards Endowment Fund Public Health Dentistry Award, UC Berkeley
  • 2011
    Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, UC Berkeley
  • 2012, 2013
    American Association for Dental Research Bloc Grant Travel Award
  • 2014
    American Association for Dental Research Hatton Award Finalist
  • 2014
    UCSF John C. Greene Society School of Dentistry Mentor of the Year
  • 2015
    UCSF 150th Anniversary Alumni Excellence Award
  • 2016
    American Association for Dental Education Olav Alvares Award
  • 2018
    Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society Charles Craig Teaching Award

Selected Publications

  1. Peres KG, Nascimento GG, Sarawagi S, Gambetta-Tessini K, Kalhan AC, Li H, Feldens CA, Chaffee BW, Barros AJD, Rugg-Gunn A, Peres MA, GLOBICS Group. The Global Consortium of Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies-GLOBICS. J Dent Res. 2025 Mar 14; 220345251315700.  View on PubMed
  2. BW Chaffee. Saving Teeth, Three (Points) at a Time. Journal of the California Dental Association. 2025; 53(1).  View on PubMed
  3. EL Han, BW Chaffee, PM Ling. Tobacco and Oral Health Misinformation on Twitter (X): Implications for Dental Professionals. Journal of the California Dental Association. 2025; 53(1).  View on PubMed
  4. Chaffee BW, Farooq O, Couch ET, Donaldson CD, Cheng NF, Gansky SA, Zhang X. Inequitable exposure to tobacco product litter among adolescents in California, USA. Tob Prev Cessat. 2025; 11.  View on PubMed
  5. Chaffee BW, Guerra Castillo C, Couch ET, Urata J, Halpern-Felsher B, Hoeft KS. Adolescents' perceptions, experiences, and reactions to "fake" vaping devices. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2025 Feb 01; 267:112534.  View on PubMed
  6. Peres KG, Kalhan AC, Sarawagi S, Peres MA, Feldens CA, Chaffee BW, Barros AJD, Rugg-Gunn A, Nascimento GG. An International Research Agenda for Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies. J Dent Res. 2025 Feb; 104(2):147-154.  View on PubMed
  7. Chaffee BW, Donaldson CD, Couch ET, Guerra Castillo C, Farooq O, Cheng NF, Ameli N, Wilkinson ML, Gansky SA, Zhang X, Hoeft KS. Flavored Tobacco Product Use Among California Adolescents Before and Immediately After a Statewide Flavor Ban. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 Nov 12.  View on PubMed
  8. Chaffee BW. ‘Don’t Get Old, Kid’ – Dentistry and Choosing to Age Wisely. Journal of the California Dental Association. 2024; 52(1).  View on PubMed
  9. Guerra Castillo C, Hoeft KS, Couch ET, Urata J, Halpern-Felsher B, Chaffee BW. Adolescents' Experiences and Perceptions of E-Cigarettes and Nicotine Addiction. Subst Use Misuse. 2024; 59(13):1981-1989.  View on PubMed
  10. Guerra Castillo C, Hoeft KS, Couch ET, Halpern-Felsher B, Chaffee BW. Adolescent Perspectives on Their E-Cigarette Initiation Experiences. Am J Health Promot. 2025 Feb; 39(2):283-290.  View on PubMed
  11. Do VV, Ling PM, Chaffee BW, Nguyen N. Concurrent Use of Tobacco and Cannabis and Internalizing and Externalizing Problems in US Youths. JAMA Netw Open. 2024 07 01; 7(7):e2419976.  View on PubMed
  12. Donaldson CD, Stupplebeen DA, Couch ET, Rojas AI, Farooq O, Zhang X, Gansky SA, Chaffee BW. Perceived discrimination and youth vaping: The role of intersectional identities. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024 Jul 01; 260:111313.  View on PubMed
  13. Chaffee BW, Couch ET, Cheng NF, Ameli N, Gansky SA. Results of the California Teens Nicotine and Tobacco Project Online Survey 2023. 2024.  View on PubMed
  14. Chaffee BW. Self-perceived quality of social roles, activities and relationships predicts incident gingivitis. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2024 Oct; 52(5):716-722.  View on PubMed
  15. Hrywna M, Ozga JE, Stanton CA, Chaffee BW, Delnevo CD, Fucito LM, Jabba SV, Morean ME, Tackett AP. Prioritizing Common Terminology and Measures to Advance Research on Oral Nicotine Product Use. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 04 22; 26(5):645-648.  View on PubMed
  16. Chaffee BW, Couch ET, Donaldson CD, Farooq O, Cheng NF, Ameli N, Zhang X, Gansky SA. Patterns in Tobacco, E-Cigarette, and Cannabis Advertising Exposure Among California Adolescents and Associations With Future Use Expectations. Subst Use Misuse. 2024; 59(8):1240-1248.  View on PubMed
  17. Benjamin W. Chaffee, Lauren M. Dutra, Candice D. Donaldson, Elizabeth T. Couch, Omara Farooq, Xueying Zhang, Stuart A. Gansky. Impact of survey item wording on reported tobacco use among youth: effect of adding ‘even one or two puffs’ to use questions. International Journal of Social Research Methodology. 2024 Feb 20; ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print):1-6.  View on PubMed
  18. Benjamin W. Chaffee. Must Dentists Be the “Bad Guy?”. Journal of the California Dental Association. 2024 Jan 25; 52(1).  View on PubMed
  19. Kristin S. Hoeft, Yilak Fantaye, Benjamin W. Chaffee, Suhaila Khan, Elizabeth Maker, Tracey Andrews, Ray Stewart, Ling Zhan, Bhavana Ravi, Jared Fine. Community of Practice for Dental Providers Serving Children on Medi-Cal Dental: Needs and Progress in Alameda County. Journal of the California Dental Association. 2024 Jan 17; 52(1).  View on PubMed
  20. Chaffee BW, Donaldson CD, Couch ET, Andersen-Rodgers E, Guerra C, Cheng NF, Ameli N, Stupplebeen D, Farooq O, Wilkinson M, Gansky S, Zhang X, Hoeft K. "I think we can do without [tobacco]": support for policies to end the tobacco epidemic among California adolescents. Tob Control. 2023 Dec 26.  View on PubMed

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