# A Patient-Oriented Research Mentoring Program in Tobacco Dependence Research

> **NIH NIH K24** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $186,991

## Abstract

Despite great progress over the past 50 years in reducing the rate of smoking, tobacco dependence remains a
leading public health concern in the US. To ensure the sustained and impactful research effort dedicated to
addressing tobacco dependence, rigorous and inter-disciplinary mentoring programs are needed to prepare
the next generation of researchers committed to tobacco dependence patient-oriented research (POR). I have
led a successful research program focused on the evaluation of methods to improve the use and effectiveness
of treatments for nicotine dependence for ~20 years and, during this time, I have mentored 24 students,
fellows, or junior faculty. This Mid-Career Investigator Award will be used to support 2 overarching career
goals. First, to support my primary mentorship career goal, I will formalize and enhance the mentoring
activities that I have been engaged in since 2001 into a structured, comprehensive, and impactful mentoring
program in tobacco dependence POR for students, fellows, and junior faculty. This will involve: 1) the
implementation of a formal mentoring framework for trainees with different academic levels, which will double
the number of mentees vs. the past 5 years and markedly increase mentoring productivity and impact in terms
of publications and grants; 2) strengthening a pipeline for mentee recruitment through new mechanisms such
as T32s and TCORS; and 3) the recruitment and mentoring of 6 students, 4 fellows, and 3 junior faculty over
the next 5 years, in addition to 5 current mentees (for a total of 18). My mentoring program will use NIDA's
mentoring framework, and will: 1) focus on students and junior faculty to ensure that training begins early in a
mentee's career; 2) provide individualized training based on mentee's goals and abilities; 3) provide
short/intensive and long/sustained traineeships depending on the mentee; 4) offer training in inter-disciplinary
science; and 5) offer intensive training in patient-oriented research (POR). To facilitate my career development,
I will: 1) use a Mentoring Advisory Committee, comprised of faculty experienced with mentoring, 2) complete
courses, conferences, and workshops in translational and implementation science and mentoring and
leadership; and 3) join a Penn effort to enhance links between behavioral and primary care. Second, to support
my primary research career goal, I will broaden my POR program to include translational and implementation
science through a pilot study of the use of the nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) for promoting clinician
prescribing and patient use of treatments for nicotine dependence within primary care. Based on our work
showing that personalizing nicotine dependence treatment using the NMR improves treatment effectiveness
and safety, the pilot will assess the translational potential of this model within primary care, while providing
opportunities for mentee training and facilitating a subsequent R01. This mid-career investigator award w...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9870914
- **Project number:** 5K24DA045244-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Robert Adam Schnoll
- **Activity code:** K24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $186,991
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9870914

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9870914, A Patient-Oriented Research Mentoring Program in Tobacco Dependence Research (5K24DA045244-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9870914. Licensed CC0.

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