Adam Leventhal, PhD
Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences; Director of the Institute for Addiction Science
Biography
Adam Leventhal, Ph.D., Professor of Preventive Medicine and Psychology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, is an addiction psychologist and public health scientist. Dr. Leventhal is the Founding Director of the USC Health, Emotion, & Addiction Laboratory (USC-HEAL; heal.usc.edu), a group of six faculty investigators and 30 staff and trainees who study the causes, consequences, treatment, and prevention of addiction and mental illness across the lifespan. Having been awarded more than $40M in grant funding from the NIH and other agencies, USC-HEAL's current areas of focus are: (1) adolescent and young adult use of tobacco, cannabis, and opioids; (2) the co-occurrence of addiction and mental illness; (3) the development of new medications to promote smoking cessation; (4) science to inform public policies for regulating tobacco and other consumer products; and (5) cancer and cardiovascular disease prevention.
Dr. Leventhal is also the Founding Director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science (USC-IAS; ias.usc.edu), a university-wide initiative that supports transdisciplinary science and education for a network of 40+ faculty addiction experts across 5 schools and colleges at USC.
Dr. Leventhal has authored over 200 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including publications in JAMA, New England Journal of Medicine, and other journals. His work has been covered by the Associated Press, NBC Nightly News, New York Times, and other media outlets. Dr. Leventhal is active in policy arenas, having served on expert panels on the health effects of e-cigarettes and tobacco products for the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the US Surgeon General. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior and American Psychological Association and recipient of awards for early and mid-career contributions to science and mentoring. His personal interests include running, playing guitar, watching football, and spending time with friends and family.
Publications
Willingness to Use Commercial Nicotine Gums, Lozenges, and Gummies Among Nontobacco Using Adolescents in Southern California.
J Adolesc Health. 2023 Feb;72(2):277-286. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.09.027. Epub 2022 Dec 2. PubMed PMID: 36470691;
Prevalence of and disparities in adolescents' susceptibility to novel oral nicotine products marketed as "tobacco-free".
Prev Med. 2023 Jan;166:107387. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107387. Epub 2022 Dec 9. PubMed PMID: 36503016; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9845133.
Regular Cannabis Use During the First Year of the Pandemic: Studying Trajectories Rather Than Prevalence.
Am J Prev Med. 2023 Feb 18;. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2023.01.035. Epub 2023 Feb 18. PubMed PMID: 36805369;
Dose-response effects of two nicotine salt formulations on electronic cigarette appeal and sensory attributes.
Tob Control. 2023 Jan 2;. doi: 10.1136/tc-2022-057553. Epub 2023 Jan 2. PubMed PMID: 36593119;
Use of Traditional Smokeless, Snus, and Dissolvable Tobacco Among U.S. Youth.
Am J Prev Med. 2023 Feb;64(2):204-212. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.09.011. Epub 2022 Nov 3. PubMed PMID: 36335080;
Courses Taught
- Basic Theory and Strategies in Prevention
- Introduction to Health Promotion and Disease Prevention