story by Homma Rafi
Director of Communications, School of Public Health
ATLANTA—Dr. Lucy Popova, assistant professor of health policy and behavioral sciences in the School of Public Health and a Second Century Initiative (2CI) scholar at Georgia State University, has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC). The committee reviews and evaluates safety, dependence and health issues related to tobacco products and provides advice, information and recommendations to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
The four-year appointment will end on Jan. 31, 2025. Dr. Popova will be one of nine voting members on the committee, which advises the FDA on regulating tobacco products. Reports and recommendations include various topics, such as the impact of the use of menthol in cigarettes on the public health, including such use among children and racial and ethnic minorities, and potential impact of modified risk tobacco products on population health.
“I am honored to serve on the FDA’s Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee and look forward to working with the FDA staff and the experts on the committee to help FDA make evidence-based regulatory decisions,” said Dr. Popova.
Dr. Popova’s research lies at the intersection of health communication and tobacco control, focusing on studying how consumers perceive the risks associated with different tobacco products, the susceptibility among various populations to using new tobacco products, and consumers’ emotional and cognitive responses to tobacco marketing and health education messages.
“Dr. Popova’s work is innovative, timely, and exceptionally critical in an increasingly diverse tobacco product landscape,” said Dr. Rodney Lyn, interim dean in the School of Public Health. “I congratulate Dr. Popova on this prestigious advisory appointment in which her work will inform effective regulatory decisions to significantly improve the public’s health.”
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institute of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Tobacco Products, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have previously funded Dr. Popova’s research.
Established in 2009, the Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee comprises members selected by the FDA commissioner among experts in medicine, medical ethics, science or technology involving the manufacture, evaluation or use of tobacco products.