77th Tobacco Science Research Conference

September 14-17, 2025Knoxville Convention CenterKnoxville, Tennessee USA

Nikki Nollen

Nicole L. Nollen, Ph.D. I am a Professor in the Department of Population Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program of the University of Kansas Cancer Center (KUCC), PI of the KL2 Training Program at our NCATS funded Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and a counseling psychologist who has focused my career on understanding determinants of health and health behaviors among adults who smoke. My specific research interests are in 1) evaluating promising behavioral and pharmacotherapy treatments for adults who smoke and are interested in quitting and 2) examining novel electronic nicotine delivery products for adults who are unwilling or unable to quit combustible cigarettes. To-date, our research group has conducted nine federally funded (NIH or PCORI) smoking studies that have enrolled over 3,300 adults who smoke (>80% menthol cigarette users) over the last two decades. Current relevant projects as PI, all focusing on tobacco harm reduction among menthol cigarette users, will generate important evidence on: 1) short- and long-term impact of e-cigarettes on health in adult combustible smokers who switch (R01 MD018123); 2) the impact of menthol flavoring on switching tobacco products (R01 DA055999); and 3) the use of individualized pharmacotherapy for tobacco cessation (Quit2Live3) (R01 DA046576). My work has resulted in over 105 peer-reviewed scientific publications and many important contributions to the field, including (1) generating the first-known data on nicotine salt-based electronic cigarettes as an effective harm reduction strategy in African American and Hispanic adult smokers who are not ready to quit smoking combustible cigarettes, (2) informing the FDA’s proposed ban on menthol cigarettes that will have important implications at the population level, (3) informing clinical practice for treating light and non-daily adults who smoke, and (4) helping elucidate the role of nicotine metabolism, tobacco use, and cessation specific to African American adults who smoke. For the current project, I lead all aspects of the project, including study start up, recruitment, implementation, and tracking, and dissemination.