Principal Investigator and
Deputy Director, OTRU
Roberta Ferrence is a Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto and an Affiliate Scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. She was OTRU’s first Executive Director, holding the position from 1993 until she stepped down in July 2011. She is currently OTRU’s Deputy Director.
Dr. Ferrence received her Master’s degree in Medical Sociology and PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Western Ontario. She has been involved in tobacco and alcohol research for many years. Her research interests include the epidemiology of tobacco use, the impact of tobacco policy on health, the role of tobacco in mortality and morbidity, and economic factors in smoking behaviour.
Currently, she is involved in research on smoking attitudes and behaviours in general populations, environmental tobacco smoke exposure in public and private environments, and behavioural and economic effects of restrictions on smoking. She is also involved in new initiatives on thirdhand smoke. Dr. Ferrence has served on numerous committees and task forces for the National Cancer Institute of Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, the American Cancer Society, Health Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. She was lead editor on Nicotine and Public Health, published by the American Public Health Association.
Competing Interest Statement
Roberta Ferrence, Deputy Director and OTRU Principal Investigator, is an Affiliate Scientist with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. Dr. Ferrence has had no relationships with the tobacco industry or with the pharmaceutical industry in the past year. In 2010, she held grants as PI, co-PI or co-investigator from the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport, the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She has accepted travel support and reimbursement from Health Canada, the Society for Research in Nicotine and Tobacco, and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer conference.
Selected Publications
Ferrence R, Muir S, Kaye J. Health effects of tobacco and secondhand smoke. In: Kunyk D, Els C, Selby P. Tobacco Reduction and Cessation: A Guide for Canadian Health Professionals. Charleston, SC: Create Space, 2012. In Press.
Bader P, Boisclair D, Ferrence R. Effects of tobacco taxation and pricing on smoking behavior in high risk populations: a knowledge synthesis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2011 Nov; 8(11): 4118-4139.
Ferrence R. Passive smoking and children. British Medical Journal 2010; 340:c1680.
Zhang B, Bondy S, Ferrence R. Do indoor smoke-free laws provide bar workers with adequate protection from second-hand smoke? American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2009 Aug-Sept; 49 (2-3): 245-247.
Ferrence R, Slade J, Room R, Pope MA. (Eds.) Nicotine and Public Health. Washington DC: American Public Health Association, 2000.
