Collaborators
Taghrid Asfar, M.D., M.S.P.H.
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor, Department of Public Health Sciences
Member, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
tasfar@miami.edu
(305) 243-3826
Dr. Asfar has extensive experience in tobacco control research nationally and internationally. Since 2001, her tobacco control work has been funded continuously by the NIH and conducted both in the United States and the Eastern Mediterranean Region, including Syria, Lebanon, and Tunisia. This work involves epidemiological and qualitative studies of tobacco use, randomized clinical trials of smoking cessation interventions, and tobacco regulatory research in health communication approaches targeting emerging tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and hookahs. She has two overarching aims in her research: (1) improving smoking cessation treatment among socially disadvantaged and high-risk populations (i.e., low-income adults, ethnic minorities, HIV patients, cancer survivors); and (2) preventing tobacco use among youth and young adults by advancing health communication strategies, such as health warning labels. She has more than 60 peer-reviewed publications (Asfar T - Search Results - PubMed) and many of these are in leading, high impact journals in this field (i.e., Tobacco Control; Nicotine and Tobacco Research; Addiction; and the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group). Dr. Asfar has currently five active grants as PI including:
- 1R01DA051836: Developing and testing health warning labels on the ENDS (electronic cigarette) device
- 20K10 James and Esther King Biomedical Research Program: Developing and testing waterpipe-specific health warning labels targeting young people in Florida
- R01TW010654-01: Translating Evidence and Building Capacity to Support Waterpipe Control in the Eastern Mediterranean
- CFAR Pilot Award P30AI07396: “Mind2Quit” Developing A Mindfulness Smartphone App for Smoking Cessation for People Living with HIV
- Sylvester Cancer Center Pilot Award P30CA240139: Smartphone Application versus In-Person Mindfulness-Based Smoking Cessation Intervention for Young Cancer Survivors: Reach versus Effectiveness
David J. Lee, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator and Occupational Health Expert in the Construction Workers Smoking Cessation Program
Professor and Chair, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
dlee@med.miami.edu
(305) 243-6980
Dr. David Lee, PhD has been a faculty member in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine since 1990, for which he currently serves as Department Chair. He is a chronic disease epidemiologist who has been the Principal Investigator/ Co-investigator on various grants from the NIH and CDC. His research interests include the areas of tobacco use and prevention, occupational health, and the application of mind-body practices in those living with chronic conditions or working in high-stress occupations. He serves as an expert on occupational health on our team for the construction workers smoking cessation program.
Zoran Bursac, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Co-Investigator/Biostatistician in James & Esther King Hookah Health Warning Labels Study and the Construction Workers Smoking Cessation Program
Professor and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics, Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, Florida International University
zbursac@fiu.edu
Dr. Bursac is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Director of the Biostatistics Consulting Service Center at the Stempel College of Public Health, at Florida International University. Throughout his career, Dr. Bursac has authored/co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in clinical medicine, biostatistics, and diverse areas in public health. He will serve as the biostatistician in our James and Esther King Waterpipe Health Warning Labels study. He will also be consulting on the biostatistics aspect of the construction workers smoking cessation program.
Kathryn McCollister, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator and Cost-effectiveness Evaluation Expert for the Construction Workers Smoking Cessation Program
Director, Division of Health Services Research and Policy
Interim Director, Division of Prevention Science and Community Health
Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
kmccolli@miami.edu
Dr. Kathryn McCollister, PhD., is a professor and Director of the Division of Health Services Research and Policy at the University of Miami. She has a BA in International Affairs from the George Washington University and a PhD in Economics from Florida International University. She has published multiple papers about economic evaluation and cost analysis of mental health and substance abuse treatments and interventions. Her role will be to perform a cost-effectiveness evaluation of the intervention in the construction workers smoking cessation program.
Nipesh Pradhananga Ph.D., P.E.
Co-Investigator and Safety Manager Training Expert and Co-Chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Council for the Construction Workers Smoking Cessation Program
Associate Professor and Associate Chair
Moss Department of Construction Management
College of Engineering & Computing, Florida International University
npradhan@fiu.edu
Dr. Nipesh Pradhananga is an Associate Professor and Associate Chair at the Moss Department of Construction Management at FIU. His research centers around leveraging emerging technologies to make workplace safer for construction workers. He uses real-time location, posture, eye-movement and emotion data to detect patterns and develop strategies to improve worker posture and avoid accidents on sites. He is also serving as the co-chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Council for the construction workers smoking cessation program.
Ramzi G. Salloum, Ph.D.
Co-Investigator and Implementation Science Expert in the Construction Workers Smoking Cessation Program
Associate Professor and Division Chair, University of Florida
rsalloum@ufl.edu
Dr. Ramzi G. Salloum, PhD is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Division of Health Outcomes and Implementation Science in the Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics at the University of Florida College of Medicine. His research focuses on the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based practices, especially in cancer prevention and control. He is experienced in health services research and his work has been funded by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Florida Department of Health, and the International Development Research Centre. He will be providing input on the implementation of the construction workers smoking cessation program.
Jennifer H. LeLaurin
Co-Investigator and Implementation Science Expert in the Construction Workers Smoking Cessation Program
Research Assistant Professor, University of Florida
jlelaurin@ufl.edu
Dr. Jennifer LeLaurin is a faculty member in the Department of Health Outcomes & Biomedical Informatics at the University of Florida College of Medicine and Assistant Director of the Learning Health System Initiative at the UF Clinical and Translational Science Institute. She has a background in implementation science and public health. She specializes in using qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to support implementation of technology-based interventions in clinical settings. Her current research focuses on social determinants of health and tobacco control. She will be providing input on the implementation of the construction workers smoking cessation program.
Stakeholder Advisory Council
Jennifer Laine, DrPH, CSP, CPH, CHMM, CFI
Executive Director, Environmental Health and Safety
University of Miami
jxl2377@miami.edu
(786) 393-2737
Dr. Jennifer Laine is the Executive Director of Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Miami, which serves the Coral Gables, marine and medical campuses. Dr. Laine has over 20 years of safety experience, including 12 years in fire research. She holds a Doctorate of Public Health from The University of Texas School of Public Health and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. She is serving as the co-chair of the Stakeholder Advisory Council.
Marcela Gaitán, M.P.H, M.A.
Managing Director for External Relations
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
mgaitan@healthyamericas.org
Marcela Gaitán is Managing Director for External Relations at The National Alliance for Hispanic Health (The Alliance) in Washington, D.C. Ms. Gaitán leads a portfolio of initiatives at the Alliance including Nuestras Voces (Our Voices) Network Program, an initiative of the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention Networking2Save consortium of national networks implementing population-specific and public health-oriented strategies, to impact the prevalence of commercial tobacco use and tobacco related cancers. She received a Bachelor’s degree from Amherst College; a Master’s Degree in Latin American Studies from The American University in Washington, DC, and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from George Washington University.
Juan Abdel Aziz, EMBA, ENV SP
Moss Department of Construction Management
College of Engineering & Computing, Florida International University
jabdelaz@fiu.edu
Juan Abdel Aziz is an adjunct professor of Florida International University, teaching OSHA - MSHA grants for the construction management masters. He has more than 13 years of experience in the safety field, having worked as a head of Environmental Health and Safety for eleven companies both internationally and in the U.S. He currently serves as the Manager of Safety, Health and Environment for Kast Construction in Miami. Juan is also an authorized OSHA outreach trainer for USF and the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) Education Center at Vol State.
Peter Berrios
Chair Miami Safety Alliance
HSE Corporate Manager USA
Health & Safety Department
Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructures
pberrios@sacyr.com
Peter Berrios is currently the HSE Corporate Manager USA for Sacyr Engineering and Infrastructures. He also serves as the Chair for the Miami Safety Alliance. Additionally, he works as an OSHA-authorized outreach trainer, conducting 10- and 30-hour Outreach Training classes in construction, general industry, maritime, or disaster site work.
Leny Chango
Compliance Assistant Specialist
U.S. Department of Labor – OSHA
chango.leny@dol.gov
Ms. Leny Chango currently works as an OSHA Compliance Assistant Specialist. She has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and has technical experience in industrial hygiene, process safety management, general industry and construction standards. Prior to working with OSHA, she worked for numerous years as an Industrial Hygienist in the petrochemical industry. Ms. Chango has been working with OSHA since 2012; she started as an Industrial Hygienist and then as a Safety and Health Officer in the Fort Lauderdale Office, before transferring to the Houston North area office in 2019. In 2022, Ms. Chango returned to the OSHA Fort Lauderdale Office as an OSHA Compliance Assistant Specialist.
Deborah Hampton, CPCU, CRM, ARM, CSHO, CHST, COSS
Risk & Safety Director
Current Builders, Vice President Board of Directors at The South Florida Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America
dhampton@currentbuilders.com
Deborah Hampton is the current Risk and Safety Director at Current Builders in Pompano Beach as well as the Vice President of the Board of Directors at The South Florida chapter of The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).
Jocelyne King
Community Outreach and Resource Planning Specialist at U.S. Department of Labor
Nick Fradkin
Senior Client Manager
RVO Health
nfradkin@rvohealth.com
Nick Fradkin leads RVO Health’s work with national and state public health partners to increase access and utilization of the tobacco cessation services that RVO Health provides on behalf of more than 20 state governments, including the Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida. Nick works from Seattle, WA, where he earned graduate degrees in public health and public administration from the University of Washington, concentrating in tobacco studies and nonprofit management, respectively, in 2016. Prior to joining RVO Health, Nick served as the state’s tobacco cessation consultant at the Washington State Department of Health.
Maxine Daggett
Health Systems Change Specialist in Tobacco Cessation
RVO Health
mdaggett@rvohealth.com
Maxine Daggett is a Health Systems Change Specialist in tobacco cessation for RVO Health/Optum for the past 8 years. Maxine Daggett holds a master’s degree in social work from New Mexico Highlands University and has over 20 years of healthcare and community health experience in New Mexico. She is a Trained Tobacco Treatment Specialist (TTS) from Duke University. Prior to joining RVO Health and Optum, she worked as a Preventionist for North Central Community Based Services in Chama. In this role, she traveled throughout an extensive territory of Northern New Mexico to implement community substance abuse prevention programs, led substance abuse prevention town hall meetings, and coordinated activities for the Northern Rio Arriba Communities Health Coalition.
Tobacco use among US construction workers is a major health disparity affecting minority groups. Construction workers have the highest smoking prevalence among all occupations (30% vs 15% in the general population) almost half of construction workers are racial/ethnic minorities, with low income and limited access to smoking cessation services. Smoking cessation efforts among construction workers are hindered by their high mobility/turnover and limited access to smoking cessation services tailored to their demanding work/life circumstances. While implementing workplace smoking cessation programs among construction workers has been recognized as a top priority, no systematic development and implementation of such programs have been attempted. Specifically, only 3 prior trials tested smoking cessation programs among US construction workers, and all were single-level studies exclusively focused on construction workers, without consideration of factors that might influence program adoption at the organizational level.
