Staff
Staff coordinate OTRU’s activities and carry out our research, evaluation, training and dissemination projects.
Robert Schwartz, Executive Director
Robert Schwartz is Executive Director of the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Professor at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto and Senior Scientist, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
Dr. Schwartz is Director of the U of T Collaborative Specialization in Public Health Policy. He leads the new Strategy Design and Evaluation Initiative with work underway on municipal drug and opioid strategies. At OTRU, Dr. Schwartz directs research, evaluation, knowledge exchange and capacity building programs. His research interests include (1) Tobacco Control Policy, (2) E-Cigarettes (3) Strategy Design and Evaluation, (3) Evaluation of Tobacco Control Programs and Policies, (4) Public Health Policy (5) Accountability (6) The Politics and Quality of Evaluation, (7) Performance Measurement and Performance Auditing. He has published widely about tobacco control, strategy evaluation, accountability, public health policy, policy change, program evaluation and government – third sector relations.
Michael Chaiton, Director of Research
Dr. Michael Chaiton is an Independent Scientist at CAMH, Director of Research at the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit and Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.
Michael has a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Toronto and has been active in tobacco control since 2000 when he started working for Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada and the International Non-Governmental Coalition against Tobacco. He is co-director of the Collaborative Specialization on Addiction Studies and is instructor of the graduate level course Tobacco and Health: From Cells to Society. His work includes understanding the impact of policy on smoking cessation and the development of tobacco related co-morbidities.
Pamela Kaufman, Project Lead
Dr. Pamela Kaufman is a Scientist with the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit and Assistant Professor with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.
Pam has been working in tobacco control research and evaluation since 2000. Projects include social and physical exposure to tobacco, e-cigarettes and cannabis; impacts of smoke-free policies on smoking behaviour; and the development and evaluation of interventions to address smoking, vaping and cannabis use.
Shawn O’Connor, Project Lead
Dr. Shawn O’Connor, a Senior Manager at OTRU, is a recognized expert in the surveillance of tobacco control outcomes.
At OTRU, Shawn has led the development of the Tobacco Informatics Monitoring System (TIMS) and the Cannabis Informatics Monitoring System (CIMS), innovative web-based data portals designed to enhance the use and adoption of risk-factor indicators by public-health stakeholders.
Shawn’s current research focuses on vaping products and pro-tobacco influences.
Tracey Borland, Research Officer
Tracey Borland is a Senior Research Officer with the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit.
Tracey’s research interests include: health equity; community-based research/evaluation and qualitative methods.
She is currently working on the evaluation of apps, campaigns and programs designed to help people quit smoking.
Jolene Dubray, Research Officer
Jolene Dubray obtained her MSc in Community Health and Epidemiology from Dalhousie University. She has been a Research Officer at the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit since 2005.
At OTRU Jolene has coordinated several evaluations related to the implementation and enforcement of provincial and local smoke-free policies; written content and provided statistical support to Strategy Monitoring Reports; supported several OTRU’s Knowledge and Evaluation Support projects; and, conducted assessments of the level of smoking cessation services provided by Ontario’s hospitals, dental health professionals and health care professionals. She has also managed research studies related to the effectiveness of MPOWER measures on smoking prevalence, and patterns of cigarillo use among young adults. Currently, Jolene is managing the HSRF-funded Research on Advancing Cessation Treatment (REACT) study.
Sherald Sanchez, Research Associate
Sherald Sanchez is a research associate at the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit focusing on health equity and the social determinants of health.
Sherald has experience in applying participatory design research methods in the development, implementation, and evaluation of complex interventions. Sherald is trained as a behavioural scientist and has significant experience working with vulnerable and disadvantaged populations.
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