Center Team

Georg is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at San Diego State University and the Director of the Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center. He earned his PhD in Psychology at Northwestern University and MA in Psychology at Albert-Ludwig’s Universität Freiburg. He is looking forward to sharing knowledge and discussing ways…

Thomas is Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at San Diego State University. He earned his MD and an Honorary Doctorate at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and his MPH at John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has worked and advised in public health with the CDC…

Mary is the Associate Vice President of Philanthropy at SAY San Diego. She has over 25 years of experience in the non-profit arena working in community development and environmental prevention efforts. She earned her BA in Spanish at the University of Arizona. She is excited to help our community partners…

Lydia is an Adjunct Professor in Psychology at San Diego State University, an Adjunct Faculty Member at Fairfield University, and the Co-Director of the Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center. She earned her DrPH from Boston University and MSN in Psychiatric Nursing from Fairfield University. She is excited to collaborate with the…

In May 2024, Amelia received her BS in Public Health from San Diego State University. She currently works as a Research Assistant at the Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center and the Center for Tobacco and the Environment. Amelia’s research background includes previous work with UC Davis on the Monitoring Milkweed-Monarch Interactions…

Kailey is a recent graduate at San Diego State University in Child Development, Sociology, and Public Administration. She will return to SDSU in Fall 2024 to begin her Master’s in Public Administration. Kailey works with Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego, where she previously worked on a project with…

Savannah studied for two years at the University of California Santa Barbara and finished her BS in Public Health at the University of California San Diego. She also completed a medical assisting program at San Francisco State University, and she now works at SAY San Diego. She is looking forward…

Gunnar is an undergraduate student at San Diego State University, studying Psychology with an emphasis in Neuroscience. He currently works as a Research Assistant for the Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center and the Center for Tobacco and the Environment. Gunnar is originally from the Pacific Northwest region of Washington. In his…

Claudia has more than 20 years of experience developing, coordinating, implementing and managing prevention programs and campaigns utilizing SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework. She also has a broad background in youth and community leadership development, tobacco control, advocacy and coalition building. In addition, she provides technical assistance to minority populations and…

Dr. Record is a Professor of Communication in the College of Professional Studies & Fine Arts at San Diego State University and a Core Researcher with the Center for Communication, Health, & the Public Good. Dr. Record’s research, typically grounded in behavior change theories, employs mixed methods to examine campaign…

Sarah earned her PhD in the School of Environmental Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. She conducted her doctoral research at the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion, concentrating on groundwater quality, health behaviors, and its impact on human health. Sarah recently began a position as the…

In 2018, Sam earned his BA in Psychology and Philosophy from San Diego State University. He started as an intern investigating contamination and remediation of thirdhand smoke in low-income housing in San Diego. He has been working as an Environmental Technician with Center for Tobacco and the Environment for 5…

In 2021, Emily earned her BS in Public Health from San Diego State University. She is now in a masters program for Public Health at San Diego State University and the Social Media Manager at the Center. She is looking forward to the opening of the new Center to connect…

Grace earned her BS in Environmental Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and MS in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. She began working as a Content Producer and Science Writer at the Thirdhand Smoke Resource Center and Policy Research Center for Tobacco and the Environment in…

John Dale (JD) is a Community Outreach Supervisor at SAY San Diego, where he works on tobacco control policy projects. He earned his BS in Public Health from San Diego State University and has interned at the American Lung Association. He is looking forward to advancing public health policies and…

Michael is a Research Specialist at the San Diego State University Research Foundation. He earned his MPH at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He is working towards PhD in Public Health from SDSU-UCSD’s joint program. After the program, he is looking forward to teaching and researching…

Carlos earned his BA in Sociology and Chicano/a Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before joining SAY San Diego and the Policy Research Center as a Program Manager, Carlos was a mentor volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. He is excited to work with…

Nafisa is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at the Center for Tobacco and the Environment. She earned her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Research on Substance Use at a Joint Doctoral Program between UC San Diego and San Diego State University. In her postdoctoral research, Nafisa assesses children’s exposure to second- and thirdhand…

Kris is an Assistant Project Coordinator at the Center for Tobacco and the Environment who earned her MS in Experimental Psychology at Western Washington University. She is looking forward to expanding important knowledge about the effects of tobacco on public and environmental health and how policy can help protect our…

Miguel is a Data Analyst for the Policy Research Center for Tobacco and the Environment. He earned his BS in Psychology at the University of California, San Diego. He is excited to analyze new data for the Center. When he is not working with data, Miguel is a fencing instructor,…

Nicolas is an Assistant Professor at San Diego State University and an active Investigator at the Center for Tobacco and the Environment. He earned his PhD in Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Arizona and his MPH and MA in Latin American Studies at SDSU. He is excited to…

Paula is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at San Diego State University. She earned her PhD in Global Health at a joint program between SDSU and University of California San Diego; she earned her MSPH at SDSU. She is excited to work with community partners and…

Jacie is a sophomore at San Diego State University who is double majoring in Journalism and Political Science and minoring in Honors Interdisciplinary Studies. She is excited to work with a team that works to create a better future through tobacco research for generations to come. In her free time,…

Danielle has an extensive background working in many different administrative roles in all corners of the U.S.  She began working as the Administrative Support Coordinator at the Policy Research Center for Tobacco and the Environment in June 2024.  She is excited to learn and implement new and exciting ways to…