Research Summary

I am a practicing general internist and a researcher in tobacco control with a focus on populations experiencing homelessness. I am formally trained in a variety of methodologies, including implementation sciences, descriptive epidemiology using national longitudinal and cross-sectional data, policy analysis, randomized controlled trials, qualitative and mixed methods research. My intervention research stems from collaborations with community organizations. As principal investigator of two prior grants from the Tobacco Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) , I collaborated with homeless shelters and supportive housing to implement interventions to increase access to smoking cessation services and smoke-free policies among homeless adults. My current work, funded by the NCI, includes a cluster randomized controlled trial of a smoke-free home intervention in 20 permanent supportive housing sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. We have started recruiting participants for another randomized controlled trial of a contingency management smoking cessation intervention for people experiencing homelessness. My current work also involves delivery of system-level interventions for smoking cessation, integrated within the electronic health record of safety-net health systems.

Research Funding

  • September 16, 2021 - August 31, 2026 - Integrating tobacco use cessation into Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) in Kisumu, Kenya , Co-Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: U01CA261620
  • March 3, 2021 - March 2, 2026 - A community-based trial of a voluntary smoke-free home intervention in permanent supportive housing for formerly homeless adults , Principal investigator . Sponsor: National cancer institute, Sponsor Award ID: R37 CA248448-01A1
  • July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2022 - Randomized trial of a contingency management smoking cessation intervention for homeless adults , Principal investigator . Sponsor: Tobacco Related Disease Research Program, Sponsor Award ID: T31IP1593
  • July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 - Promote smoking cessation and smoke-free environments in San Francisco low income and high cancer risk populations , PI . Sponsor: San Francisco Cancer Initiative, Sponsor Award ID:

Education

Brown University, Sc.B, 05/1999, Biology
Boston University School of Medicine, MD, 05/2006, Medicine
University of California, San Francisco, MAS, 06/2011, Clinical Research

Honors & Awards

  • 2005
    Alpha Omega Alpha, Medical Honor Society
  • 2006
    Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation, American Medical Women's Association
  • 2006
    Leonard Tow Humanism in Medicine Award, Arnold P. Gold Foundation
  • 2009
    Joseph N. Muschel House Staff Award for Humanism and Excellence in Medicine
  • 2015
    Award for poster presentation in the category of Public Health in Action, Public Health Research Day, UCSD, April 9, 2015

Selected Publications

  1. Miller J, Cuby J, Hall SM, Stitzer M, Kushel M, Appiah D, Vijayaraghavan M. Tobacco use behaviors and views on engaging in clinical trials for tobacco cessation among individuals who experience homelessness. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2023 Apr; 32:101094.  View on PubMed
  2. Molina MF, Hall SM, Stitzer M, Kushel M, Chakravarty D, Vijayaraghavan M. Contingency management to promote smoking cessation in people experiencing homelessness: Leveraging the electronic health record in a pilot, pragmatic randomized controlled trial. PLoS One. 2022; 17(12):e0278870.  View on PubMed
  3. Odes R, Alway J, Kushel M, Max W, Vijayaraghavan M. The smoke-free home study: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial of a smoke-free home intervention in permanent supportive housing. BMC Public Health. 2022 11 14; 22(1):2076.  View on PubMed
  4. Lowenstein M, Karliner L, Livaudais-Toman J, Gregorich S, Velazquez AI, Vijayaraghavan M, Walsh JME, Kaplan CP. Barriers and Facilitators to Lung Cancer Screening: A Physician Survey. Am J Health Promot. 2022 09; 36(7):1208-1212.  View on PubMed
  5. Hiatt RA, Sibley A, Venkatesh B, Cheng J, Dixit N, Fox R, Ling P, Nguyen T, Oh D, Palmer NR, Pasick RJ, Potter MB, Somsouk M, Vargas RA, Vijayaraghavan M, Ashworth A. From Cancer Epidemiology to Policy and Practice: the Role of a Comprehensive Cancer Center. Curr Epidemiol Rep. 2022; 9(1):10-21.  View on PubMed
  6. Miller J, Vijayaraghavan M. Tobacco Industry Efforts to Respond to Smoke-Free Policies in Multi-Unit Housing: An Evaluation of Tobacco Industry Documents. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 03 05; 19(5).  View on PubMed
  7. Martinez J, Jafry MZ, Chen TA, Businelle MS, Kendzor DE, Britton M, Vijayaraghavan M, Reitzel LR. Guest Support for Outdoor Smoke-Free Policies within a Homeless Shelter. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 02 19; 19(4).  View on PubMed
  8. Hartman-Filson M, Chen J, Lee P, Phan M, Apollonio DE, Kroon L, Donald F, Vijayaraghavan M. A community-based tobacco cessation program for individuals experiencing homelessness. Addict Behav. 2022 06; 129:107282.  View on PubMed
  9. Suen LW, Rafferty H, Le T, Chung K, Straus E, Chen E, Vijayaraghavan M. Factors associated with smoking cessation attempts in a public, safety-net primary care system. Prev Med Rep. 2022 Apr; 26:101699.  View on PubMed
  10. Chung K, Rafferty H, Suen LW, Vijayaraghavan M. System-Level Quality Improvement Initiatives for Tobacco Use in a Safety-Net Health System During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Prim Care Community Health. 2022 Jan-Dec; 13:21501319221107984.  View on PubMed
  11. Riley ED, Delucchi K, Rubin S, Weiser SD, Vijayaraghavan M, Lynch K, Tsoh JY. Ongoing tobacco use in women who experience homelessness and unstable housing: A prospective study to inform tobacco cessation interventions and policies. Addict Behav. 2022 02; 125:107125.  View on PubMed
  12. Rubin SB, Vijayaraghavan M, Weiser SD, Tsoh JY, Cohee A, Delucchi K, Riley ED. Homeless women's perspectives on smoking and smoking cessation programs: A qualitative study. Int J Drug Policy. 2021 12; 98:103377.  View on PubMed
  13. Durazo A, Hartman-Filson M, Elser H, Alizaga NM, Vijayaraghavan M. E-Cigarette Use among Current Smokers Experiencing Homelessness. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 04 01; 18(7).  View on PubMed
  14. Durazo A, Hartman-Filson M, Perez K, Alizaga NM, Petersen AB, Vijayaraghavan M. Smoke-Free Home Intervention in Permanent Supportive Housing: A Multifaceted Intervention Pilot. Nicotine Tob Res. 2021 01 07; 23(1):63-70.  View on PubMed
  15. Vijayaraghavan M, Elser H, Frazer K, Lindson N, Apollonio D. Interventions to reduce tobacco use in people experiencing homelessness. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 12 03; 12:CD013413.  View on PubMed
  16. Katyal T, Durazo A, Hartman-Filson M, Vijayaraghavan M. Responses to Graphic Warning Labels among Low-income Smokers. Am J Health Behav. 2020 09 01; 44(5):603-616.  View on PubMed
  17. Vijayaraghavan M. Improving Access to Clinical Trials for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment. JAMA Neurol. 2020 06 01; 77(6):671-672.  View on PubMed
  18. Alizaga NM, Hartman-Filson M, Elser H, Halpern-Felsher B, Vijayaraghavan M. Alternative flavored and unflavored tobacco product use and cigarette quit attempts among current smokers experiencing homelessness. Addict Behav Rep. 2020 Dec; 12:100280.  View on PubMed
  19. Alizaga NM, Hartman-Filson M, Elser H, Halpern-Felsher B, Vijayaraghavan M. Alternative flavored and unflavored tobacco product use and cigarette quit attempts among current smokers experiencing homelessness. Addict Behav Rep. 2020 Dec; 12:100280.  View on PubMed
  20. Vijayaraghavan M, King BA. Advancing Housing and Health: Promoting Smoking Cessation in Permanent Supportive Housing. Public Health Rep. 2020 Jul/Aug; 135(4):415-419.  View on PubMed

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