Training Faculty
Michael B. Steinberg, MD, MPH
Medical Director – Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies
michael.steinberg@rutgers.edu
Michael B. Steinberg, MD, MPH is Professor and Chief in the Division of General Internal Medicine, Vice-Chair for Clinical Research at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and Medical Director of the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies. Dr. Steinberg has been a Fellow of the American College of Physicians since 2010, a former RWJ Foundation Physician Faculty Scholar (2006-9), and past-president of the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence (ATTUD). He maintains an active research career in the areas of tobacco treatment interventions, has published nearly 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and has conducted studies funded by NCI, NIDA, RWJ Foundation, and the NJ Department of Health. His ongoing efforts include NCI-funded research evaluating physicians’ attitudes and communication regarding E-cigarettes (PACE) and studying cigarette relighting behaviors, project lead for NCI’s Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3i), and coordination and training for the 10 New Jersey tobacco Quitcenters.
Jill Williams, MD
Director - Mental Health Tobacco Services
jill.williams@rutgers.edu
Jill M. Williams, MD, is Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Division of Addiction Psychiatry at the Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick. She also holds faculty appointments at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey and the Rutgers Center for Alcohol Studies. The focus of Dr. Williams work has been in addressing tobacco in individuals with mental illness or other addictions through treatment and systems interventions. She is a Board Certified Addiction Psychiatry and member of the APA Council on Addictions. Dr. Williams has received research funding from sources including the National Institutes on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and American Legacy Foundation. Her publications have appeared in numerous journals including Nicotine and Tobacco Research, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment and in 2015 she was the recipient of the Remarkable Achievement Award of the NJ Psychiatric Association.
Marc Steinberg, PhD
Training Faculty
marc.steinberg@rutgers.edu
Marc Steinberg, PhD is a clinical psychologist and the director of the Tobacco Research & Intervention lab. He is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Director, Division of Addiction Psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. The majority of his research focuses on tobacco use and dependence, including tobacco dependence treatment development, tobacco use in smokers with psychiatric comorbidity, the relationship between smoking and task persistence/distress tolerance, and motivational interviewing as an approach to encourage smokers to make a quit attempt. More recently, Dr. Steinberg has begun examining tobacco use and psychiatric comorbidity in patients using cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Dr. Steinberg is active in the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) where he serves on the Treatment Network’s Advisory Committee. He is a Deputy Editor for the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research and a Consulting Editor for Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.
Mary Hrywna, MPH
Training Faculty
Hrywnama@sph.rutgers.edu
Mary Hrywna, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor, Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies & Rutgers School of Public Health. She has over 20 years of experience working at universities coordinating and conducting behavioral science and policy research. Her research areas and interests include tobacco regulatory science and tobacco control policy, particularly policies that may prevent or reduce tobacco use among young people and other special populations. Dr. Hrywna is the Principal Investigator of a contract funded by the New Jersey Department of Health intended to conduct tobacco-related research and surveillance in the state including the New Jersey Youth Tobacco Survey and repeated point of sale data collection.
Manish S. Patel, MD
Internist
patel168@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Manish S. Patel, MD is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Rutgers – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, where he serves as the Co-director of the GIM Hospitalist Program. He was elected to Fellowship in the American College of Physicians in 2018. He has published numerous peer-reviewed manuscripts, including in the field of tobacco treatment. As a hospitalist, Dr. Patel is especially interested in the treatment of tobacco dependence in the hospitalized and perioperative setting, and he has given lectures on this topic in various regional academic settings.
Olivia Wackowski, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies
wackowol@sph.rutgers.edu
Olivia Wackowski, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, is a health behavioral scientist with a research concentration in the area of tobacco control. Her research interests lie in the area of tobacco communication, tobacco product perceptions, risk perceptions, and product use trends. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, her research informs tobacco control policy including FDA regulation of tobacco and fits under the scope of tobacco regulatory science.
Kim Jordan-Casarona, DSW, LCSW, LCADC
Treatment Coordinator - Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies
kjc94@cts.rutgers.edu
Kim Jordan-Casarona, DSW, LCSW, LCADC is the Treatment Coordinator for the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies, and Instructor at the Division of General Internal Medicine at Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Casarona holds both a masters and doctoral degree in social work from Rutgers University. She has over 30 years of experience in behavioral health and addiction treatment and has worked as a clinician and supervisor in a variety of treatment settings including inpatient and outpatient programs, schools and private practice.
Kristen E. Riley, PhD
Assistant Professor – Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP)
Kristen.Riley@Rutgers.edu
Kristen E. Riley, PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology (GSAPP). She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a certificate in health psychology from the University of Connecticut and a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Her research aims to decrease stigma and increase health equity through tobacco cessation integrated care. She is an affiliate member of Center for Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, and the Center for Tobacco Studies, and is an associate member of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey in Cancer Prevention and Control.
Michelle T. Bover Manderski, PhD, MPH
Associate Director of Survey Methods and Data Analysis - Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies
bovermi@cts.rutgers.edu
Michelle T. Bover Manderski, PhD, MPH is Associate Director of Survey Methods and Data Analysis at Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies and Instructor of Epidemiology, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at Rutgers School of Public Health. Dr. Bover Manderski’s research interests include survey methodology, measurement of health-related behaviors, cancer epidemiology, and epidemiology of tobacco use. During her 10+ years at the Center for Tobacco Studies, she has led or collaborated on numerous tobacco research projects, including surveillance, clinical and program evaluation, and experimental studies.
Kevin Schroth, JD
Associate Professor – Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies and School of Public Health
kevin.schroth@rutgers.edu
Kevin Schroth, JD is an Associate Professor with Rutgers University's Center for Tobacco Studies and School of Public Health. He teaches public health law, and his research focuses on how tobacco regulatory science can improve tobacco control policy. He previously served as an attorney with the New York City Health Department, directing tobacco control policy for the City. During this tenure, Kevin played a principal role in drafting and passing more than a dozen tobacco control laws. He also developed policies designed to reduce consumption of sodium and sugary beverages. Before concentrating on public health, he worked as a commercial litigator, and clerked for federal and state judges in New Jersey. Kevin earned his JD from Rutgers Law School and BA from Bucknell University.
Heather Jordan, MPH, CPH, MCHES
Research Program Manager and Health Educator - Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies
jordanhm@cts.rutgers.edu
Heather Jordan, MPH, CPH, MCHES, is a Research Program Manager and Health Educator at the Rutgers Center for Tobacco Studies at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Ms. Jordan’s area of expertise is lung cancer screening and tobacco cessation. She holds a Master's Degree in Public Health with a concentration in Maternal and Child Health. Ms. Jordan is Certified in Public Health (CPH), a Master Health Education Specialist (MCHES), and is trained as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist through the Rutgers Tobacco Dependence Program.