Lauren Dutra

Lauren McCarl Dutra is a social epidemiologist with more than 15 years of experience conducting research in public health policy, tobacco, cannabis, and health disparities. 

Dr. Dutra directs projects on youth tobacco surveillance for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health. She also directs the evaluation of a tobacco public education campaign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Dutra is interested in studying the psychosocial, economic, and environmental contributors to tobacco use and tobacco-related outcomes. Her current research interests also include the impact of cannabis legalization on public health outcomes, particularly among minorities and low socioeconomic status individuals. 

Prior to joining RTI International, Dr. Dutra’s research as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco focused on e-cigarette use among youth and longitudinal trajectories of cigarette smoking, with a particular emphasis on vulnerable populations. Dr. Dutra’s doctoral research focused on the impact of discrimination and human rights violations on tobacco use in South Africa and the impact of worksite safety on tobacco use and safety behaviors among American blue-collar workers. Before obtaining her doctorate, Dr. Dutra worked as a psychotherapist. 

Dr. Dutra has published more than 40 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, including Tobacco Control, Social Science & Medicine, Journal of Adolescent Health, Preventive Medicine, and JAMA Pediatrics. Dr. Dutra has also presented her research at multiple national and international conferences and participated in media interviews about her research.