Dr. Michael P. Eriksen, dean of the School of Public Health at Georgia State University, is available to discuss the order issued by the FDA today (Sept. 15, 2015) to stop sales of four R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette products, including the popular Camel Crush Bold.

Dr. Eriksen has more than 20 years of experience in tobacco control research and practice, including his tenure as Director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

He is currently the lead researcher on a $19 million grant focused on understanding human decision-making around the use of tobacco, knowledge designed to inform better regulatory decisions. The research includes projects that are examining human economic behavior, consumer reaction to tobacco marketing and individual perception of risk of novel tobacco products. He is also the lead author of The Tobacco Atlas, a joint project of the American Cancer Society and the World Lung Foundation.

Dr. Eriksen can discuss how federal regulators make the decision to order that sales of an existing tobacco product be stopped, the issue of flavors and how tobacco companies use them to appeal to different groups of consumers, and other issues around the industry’s efforts to find ways to offer new products in the US and abroad.

For his full bio, go to: http://publichealth.gsu.edu/profile/michaeleriksen/.