UMTRN: The University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network: University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network (UMTRN)

UMTRN: Who We Are

UMTRN is a network of University of Michigan scholars and select outside experts who share a commitment to tobacco and nicotine research. The University of Michigan is privileged to be home to one of the largest and strongest contingents of tobacco and nicotine researchers in the world. Our members span many disciplines and areas of expertise, ranging from basic biological research on nicotine addiction to the impacts of policy on smoking and other tobacco use. UMTRN members are dedicated to applying research findings for the public good.

Mission

Our mission is to increase the quality of research on tobacco and nicotine, as well as its utility by:

  • Disseminating information about University of Michigan tobacco researchers and their work
  • Creating a forum within the University for the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas
  • Enhancing tobacco education and training opportunities, both within and outside of the University
  • Enriching tobacco research on campus by supporting researchers new to the field or to the University
  • Alerting UMTRN members to grant opportunities and job and postdoctoral fellowship announcements

Leadership

UMTRN’s director is Clifford E. Douglas, J.D., an adjunct professor at the School of Public Health in the Department of Health Management and Policy, and a co-principal investigator for the Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulations at the University of Michigan. The Network’s founding director is Dr. Kenneth Warner, former Dean of the School of Public Health and the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor of Public Health.

  • Clifford Douglas, JDUniversity of Michigan
    Clifford Douglas, JD
    University of Michigan
    Clifford Douglas, JD
    University of Michigan: Adjunct Professor, University of Michigan School of Public Health
    Role: Director, UMTRN
    Profile: sph.umich.edu
    Cliff Douglas is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. He is a long-time expert on a wide range of tobacco-related policy, regulatory and legal issues, ranging from federal regulation of tobacco products and the challenges and potential benefits of e-cigarettes to the widening disparities in the smoking population. As director of the University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network, he leads the Smoke-Free Environments Law Project, a 20-year-old statewide project that provides information, consultation and advice for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, local units of government, tobacco control advocates, and communities regarding evidence-based policies and practices to protect Michigan residents from the harmful effects of tobacco. He also recently served as the American Cancer Society’s Vice President for Tobacco Control and as the founding Director of ACS’s Center for Tobacco Control from 2015 to 2020.
  • Kenneth E. Warner, PhDUniversity of Michigan
    Kenneth E. Warner, PhD
    University of Michigan
    Kenneth E. Warner, PhD
    University of Michigan: Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Public Health; Dean Emeritus, School of Public Health
    Role: Founding Director of UMTRN
    Profile: sph.umich.edu
    Dr. Kenneth Warner is the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Public Health, Professor Emeritus of Health Management & Policy, and Dean Emeritus of Public Health at the University of Michigan. His wide-ranging areas of expertise include the policy implications of tobacco use and cessation trends and the tobacco-related health outcomes resulting from tobacco harm reduction strategies.
    “The University of Michigan is home to one of the nation’s largest groups of highly respected scientists engaged in research on nicotine and tobacco. Their research examines everything from mechanisms of addiction to treatment methods, from the social determinants of smoking to tobacco control policy. UMTRN was founded to create a forum to support interdisciplinary collaborations on addressing what remains America’s Public Health Enemy Number One.” – Dr. Ken Warner