Gregory N. Connolly, D.M.D., M.P.H. is Professor of the Practice of Public Health in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health and a member of the Division of Public Health Practice at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is also a Dr. William Cahan Distinguished Professor awarded to Harvard School of Public Health by the Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute (FAMRI). His research focuses on the prevention and control of tobacco and tobacco related disease. He conducts research on tobacco product design, reduced risk tobacco products, global tobacco issues, efficacy of tobacco control interventions and the structure and marketing practices of the tobacco industry. Dr. Connolly is the principle investigator on three research projects.
National Cancer Institute
Design and Characterization of Tobacco Products
This project analyzes internal tobacco industry documents made available through the Master Settlement Agreement between the major tobacco manufacturers and the states’ attorneys general. The project objectives are to assess how tobacco manufacturers design their products and how product design promotes use among different groups. To this end, the project examines how design features, such as the use of blends, additives, and ventilation, contribute to youth initiation, addiction, and non-smokers’ exposure to secondhand smoke. The project studies how changes in tobacco product design affect smoke chemistry, patterns of deposition, bioavailability, and exposure to toxins and nicotine. The project also examines how tobacco manufacturers alter products to target specific populations, and how these design changes affect product acceptance, inhalation behavior, nicotine delivery and action, and long term smoking patterns.
American Legacy Foundation
New Tobacco Products and PREPS: Design, Marketing and Consumer Response
This project monitors the design and marketing of emerging "harm-reduction" tobacco products, also known as Potentially Reduced Exposure Products (PREPs), and new conventional tobacco products. The project establishes a comprehensive surveillance system to monitor the introduction of new products and to evaluate the potential for harm. The project analyzes internal tobacco industry documents to assess industry research on the design, consumer acceptance, marketing, and health risks of PREPs and new products. The project conducts independent laboratory research to validate industry claims made by the industry. The project also conducts independent consumer research on the effect of PREP advertisements on smokers’ perceptions and behavior. The project investigates state and federal public health and consumer protection authority to regulate PREPS and their marketing.
Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute
Impact of State and National Clean Indoor Air Laws on the Economy and Health of Hospitality Workers
This project investigates the economic effect of state clean indoor air laws on the hospitality and tourism industry including restaurant and bar business employment. The project hypothesizes that Clean Indoor Air (CIA) laws have no negative economic effects. The project also studies the effect of CIA laws on the health of non-smoking restaurant and bar workers in states and countries that have adopted CIA laws. Workershealth is assessed through self-reports, measurement of toxins in the workersenvironment, and using biomarkers for nicotine and other toxin exposures.