# Center for Coordination of Analysis, Science, Enhancement, and Logistics (CASEL) in Tobacco Regulatory Science

> **NIH NIH U54** · WESTAT, INC. · 2024 · $3,525,108

## Abstract

PROJECT ABSTRACT
Tobacco regulatory science (TRS) provides the evidence base needed to inform the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration's (FDA's) regulatory actions and activities. In partnership with the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), FDA's Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) established a large, diverse, transdisciplinary research
portfolio that aims to advance TRS and generate scientific evidence that FDA CTP can use to inform tobacco
regulatory decision-making and protect public health. Additional TRS research is needed to address the
ongoing changes in the tobacco product landscape and to continue to understand the health effects and
related behaviors of the full complement of tobacco products. A strong and experienced coordinating center
will help ensure maximum achievement of these goals by providing scientific leadership and analytic expertise
to the research community; bringing researchers together to share methods, measures, data, and findings;
providing resources and infrastructure to facilitate collaboration; support TRS career development; and
disseminate research findings and relevant resources to the TRS community. The coordinating center will
serve as the hub to effectively and efficiently accelerate the impact of research from the TRS community.
Through this renewal application to serve as the Center for Coordination of Analysis, Science, Enhancement
and Logistics (CASEL), the Westat team proposes to build on our existing infrastructure, approaches,
experience and relationships to support the TRS research community and its Federal partners. Our specific
aims are to: (1) m
aintain a dynamic central hub that supports effective and coordinated collaboration and
engagement across the TRS community, NIH, and CTP partners; create synergies and provide valuable
resources to advance and accelerate timely high impact research
; (2) provide a robust logistical and
management infrastructure within a strong leadership framework for meaningful coordination of the large and
diverse portfolio of TRS research; (3) provide scientific leadership and facilitate timely responsiveness to
regulatory scientific priorities; (4) coordinate career enhancement activities across the CTP-funded research
community that increases research capacity and dissemination, provides mentorship and leadership
opportunities for early career scientists, facilitates education in diverse disciplines in TRS, and offers
networking and professional development resources; and (5) disseminate research resources to the TRS
community through multiple channels, synthesize research findings across the community, provide
opportunities to highlight emerging research findings, and coordinate information sharing to accelerate TRS.
We are prepared to step into CASEL 2.0 seamlessly, to enhance and expand our initiatives, and to introduce
nuanced, engaging innovation in our approaches. Our MPIs, Ms. Jeanne Rosenthal and Dr. Robin Mermelstein
have both served effectively in their respectiv...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10930851
- **Project number:** 5U54DA046060-07
- **Recipient organization:** WESTAT, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Robin J. Mermelstein
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $3,525,108
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-30 → 2028-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10930851

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10930851, Center for Coordination of Analysis, Science, Enhancement, and Logistics (CASEL) in Tobacco Regulatory Science (5U54DA046060-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10930851. Licensed CC0.

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