Raymond S Niaura

Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Professional overview

Dr. Raymond Niaura is a psychologist and an expert on tobacco dependence and treatment, as well as substance use and addiction to alcohol. Dr. Niaura researches the biobehavioral substrates of tobacco dependence, including factors that influence adolescent and early adult tobacco use trajectories. He also evaluates behavioral and pharmacological treatments for tobacco cessation, with a particular interest in cessation in disadvantaged population to address public health disparities in tobacco-related burdens of illness and disability.

For eight year, Dr. Niaura was the Director of Science and Training at the Schroeder Institute (SI) for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at the Truth Initiative, where he also supervised the pre- and post-doctoral training programs. Dr. Niaura has previously taught and conducted research at Brown University, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Georgetown Medical Center, and the School of Public Health at University of Maryland. He was also a former President of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and is  a Deputy Editor of the Nicotine and Tobacco Research.

With grants from the National Institutes of Health, numerous foundations, and private industry, Dr. Niaura has published over 400 peer-reviewed articles, commentaries, and book chapters, including the book The Tobacco Dependence Treatment Handbook: A Guide to Best Practices.

Education

BA, Psychology (First Class Honors), McGill University, Montreal, Canada

MS, Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

PhD, Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ

Honors and awards

Research Laureate, American Academy of Health Behavior (2009)

University Scholar Award, McGill University (1979)

Areas of research and study

Alcohol, Tobacco and Driving Policies

Evaluations

Health Disparities

Substance Abuse

Tobacco Control

Publications

Publications

Internet and telephone treatment for smoking cessation: Mediators and moderators of short-term abstinence

Markov modeling to estimate the population health impact of emerging tobacco products: A proof-of-concept study

Maternal-fetal attachment differentiates patterns of prenatal smoking and exposure

Mathematical modelling in tobacco control research: Protocol for a systematic review

Outcomes of a tailored intervention for cigarette smoking cessation among latinos living with HIV/AIDS

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of the effect of varenicline on nicotine craving in adult smokers

Prospective evaluation of associations between prenatal cortisol and adulthood coronary heart disease risk: The New England family study

The other combustible products: Prevalence and correlates of little cigar/cigarillo use among cigarette smokers

Authoritative parenting and cigarette smoking among multiethnic preadolescents: The mediating role of anti-tobacco parenting strategies

Effects of sequential fluoxetine and gender on prequit depressive symptoms, affect, craving, and quit day abstinence in smokers with elevated depressive symptoms: A growth curve modeling approach

Efficacy of sequential use of fluoxetine for smoking cessation in elevated depressive symptom smokers

Impact of tobacco control policy on quitting and nicotine dependence among women in five European countries

Influences of tobacco advertising exposure and conduct problems on smoking behaviors among adolescent males and females

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and infant stress response: Test of a prenatal programming hypothesis

Parental smoking exposure and adolescent smoking trajectories

Prenatal glucocorticoids and maternal smoking during pregnancy independently program adult nicotine dependence in daughters: A 40-year prospective study

Quit now? Quit soon? Quit when you're ready? Insights about target quit dates for smoking cessation from an online quit date tool

The effects of nicotine deprivation and replacement on BOLD-fMRI response to smoking cues as a function of DRD4 VNTR genotype

The relationship between maternal-fetal attachment and cigarette smoking over pregnancy

Tobacco cessation among low-income smokers: Motivational enhancement and nicotine patch treatment

Bock, B. C., Papandonatos, G. D., De Dios, M. A., Abrams, D. B., Azam, M. M., Fagan, M., Sweeney, P. J., Stein, M. D., & Niaura, R. (n.d.).

Publication year

2014

Journal title

Nicotine and Tobacco Research

Volume

16

Issue

4

Page(s)

413-422

10.1093/ntr/ntt166

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction: Despite decades of tobacco use decline among the general population in the United States, tobacco use among low-income populations continues to be a major public health concern. Smoking rates are higher among individuals with less than a high school education, those with no health insurance, and among individuals living below the federal poverty level. Despite these disparities, smoking cessation treatments for low-income populations have not been extensively tested. In the current study, the efficacy of 2 adjunctive smoking cessation interventions was evaluated among low-income smokers who were seen in a primary care setting. Methods: A total of 846 participants were randomly assigned either to motivational enhancement treatment plus brief physician advice and 8 weeks of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or to standard care, which consisted of brief physician advice and 8 weeks of NRT. Tobacco smoking abstinence was at 1, 2, 6, and 12 months following baseline. Results: The use of the nicotine patch, telephone counseling, and positive decisional balance were predictive of increased abstinence rates, and elevated stress levels and temptation to smoke in both social/habit and negative affect situations decreased abstinence rates across time. Analyses showed intervention effects on smoking temptations, length of patch use, and number of telephone contacts. Direct intervention effects on abstinence rates were not significant, after adjusting for model predictors and selection bias due to perirandomization attrition. Conclusions: Integrating therapeutic approaches that promote use of and adherence to medications for quitting smoking and that target stress management and reducing negative affect may enhance smoking cessation among low-income smokers.

Compensation predicts smoking cessation failure

Niaura, R. S., Pearson, J. L., & Abrams, D. B. (n.d.).

Publication year

2013

Journal title

Psychopharmacology

Volume

230

Issue

2

Page(s)

261-266

10.1007/s00213-013-3150-5

Abstract

Abstract

Rationale: Compensation is a potential result of decreasing the available nicotine and tar dose in cigarettes. There is little published data linking compensation with cessation. Objectives: We sought to examine whether compensation in response to restricted cigarette yield is associated with difficulty quitting smoking. Methods: Questionnaires and blood samples were collected from 174 smokers interested in quitting smoking as part of a larger smoking cessation study. Participants were instructed to use a filter designed to remove 50 % of tar and nicotine from the cigarette but otherwise smoke normally. Participants returned after 3 days of using the filter for follow-up data collection. Results: Nicotine levels and cigarettes per day decreased after use of the filter. Baseline nicotine and change in nicotine pre/post filter use, but not cigarettes per day or change in cigarettes per day were associated with smoking abstinence at 30 days. Conclusions: Smokers who demonstrate sensitivity to the biological or behavioral consequences of decreased nicotine content in tobacco smoke have greater difficulty quitting. These findings suggest the need for personalized cessation treatment linked to behavioral compensation.

Cost-effectiveness of internet and telephone treatment for smoking cessation: An economic evaluation of the iQUITT study

Graham, A. L., Chang, Y., Fang, Y., Cobb, N. K., Tinkelman, D. S., Niaura, R. S., Abrams, D. B., & Mandelblatt, J. S. (n.d.).

Publication year

2013

Journal title

Tobacco control

Volume

22

Issue

6

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2012-050465

Abstract

Abstract

Background Internet and telephone treatments for smoking cessation can reach large numbers of smokers. There is little research on their costs and the impact of adherence on costs and effects. Objective To conduct an economic evaluation of The iQUITT Study, a randomised trial comparing Basic Internet, Enhanced Internet and Enhanced Internet plus telephone counselling ('Phone') at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months. Methods We used a payer perspective to evaluate the average and incremental cost per quitter of the three interventions using intention-to-treat analysis of 30-day single-point prevalence and multiple-point prevalence (MPP) abstinence rates. We also examined results based on adherence. Costs included commercial charges for each intervention. Discounting was not included given the short time horizon. Results Basic Internet had the lowest cost per quitter at all time points. In the analysis of incremental costs per additional quitter, Enhanced Internet+Phone was the most cost-effective using both single and MPP abstinence metrics. As adherence increased, the cost per quitter dropped across all arms. Costs per quitter were lowest among participants who used the 'optimal' level of each intervention, with an average cost per quitter at 3 months of US$7 for Basic Internet, US$164 for Enhanced Internet and US$346 for Enhanced Internet +Phone. Conclusions 'Optimal' adherence to internet and combined internet and telephone interventions yields the highest number of quitters at the lowest cost. Cost-effective means of ensuring adherence to such evidence-based programmes could maximise their population-level impact on smoking prevalence.

Dissociable effect of acute varenicline on tonic versus cue-provoked craving in non-treatment-motivated heavy smokers

Early life stress is associated with greater default network deactivation during working memory in healthy controls: A preliminary report

Effects of abstinence in adolescent tobacco smokers: Withdrawal symptoms, urge, affect, and cue reactivity