Dr Katherine East PhD

I am an Associate Professor in Public Health within the Department of Primary Care and Public Health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and have a visiting appointment at King's College London (KCL). I have recently completed a Society for the Study of Addiction (SSA) Griffith Edwards Academic Fellowship in KCL's Nicotine Research Group (NRG), where I worked on projects relating to nicotine and tobacco product perceptions and use, with a focus on youth and young adults. In 2024 I was awarded the SSA's Fred Yates Prize for significant contributions to work in the field of addiction.

I lead the England arm of the International Tobacco Control (ITC) Policy Evaluation Project and Co-Chair the international Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Policy Research Network. I have contributed to reports assessing the health effects and perceptions of vaping for the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the Royal College of Physicians (here). I have also worked with Evidence to Impact and local authorities across the UK on youth smoking and vaping prevention initiatives, been on the steering committee for Cancer Research UK's E-Cigarette Research Forum, and advised the Canadian Cancer Society on youth smoking and vaping prevention.

I hold a PhD in Addiction Sciences from King's College London, an MSc in Mental Health Studies from University College London, and a BSc from the University of Bristol.

Research interests:

• • Nicotine and tobacco product perceptions and use

  • Evaluating the impact of tobacco and nicotine policies (e.g., health warning labels, age of sale)

  • Youth smoking and vaping prevention

  • Population research and survey methodology

  • Open science and improving scientific practice

I also have an interest in research culture and have consulted UKRI on research culture initiatives in the UK (report here).

I am currently seeking PhD students who are interested in working on projects related to tobacco and nicotine.