. FDA?s tobacco regulatory authority calls for an evidence-based approach that emphasizes protecting public health. This approach differs from pharmaceutical regulation and thus requires differently trained regulatory scientists. The Career Enhancement Core (CEC) continues and expands the Center for the Study of Tobacco Products? (CSTP?s) program of tobacco regulatory science and research training designed to meet FDA and NIH needs. The CEC offers an updated graduate course on tobacco regulatory science, educates pre- and post-doctoral appointees, engages investigators new to tobacco regulation, and, at no added cost to NIH, integrates tobacco regulatory science into two existing international programs that train scientists and policymakers.
The specific aims of the CSTP?s CEC are to: (1) conduct a transdisciplinary graduate course and produce methods-based webinars, (2) educate pre-doctoral and post-doctoral appointees, (3) engage non-CSTP faculty in tobacco regulatory science, (4) create a pilot research program, and (5) integrate tobacco regulatory science into ongoing international training programs. In sum, the CSTP proposes a Career Enhancement Core that will continue to teach tobacco regulatory science and transdisciplinary methods for tobacco product evaluation, support pre-doctoral and post-doctoral appointees, and engage new investigators in tobacco regulatory science. The pilot research program will help appointees learn proposal writing and management skills while fostering collaborations between CSTP faculty and investigators new to tobacco regulatory science. Taken together, all of these activities support the U54- funded CSTP and will build on the CSTP?s history of producing an experienced cadre of tobacco regulatory scientists ready for productive careers in academia, government, and other areas.
