Julia C. Chen-Sankey, PhD, MPP (she/her/hers)
Biography
Julia Chen-Sankey, Ph.D., M.P.P., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health. She is also core faculty at the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies and an affiliated faculty member of the Rutgers Addiction Research Center. Dr. Chen-Sankey earned her Ph.D. in Behavioral and Community Health from the University of Maryland, her Master of Public Policy from Johns Hopkins University.
Research Interests
Dr. Chen-Sankey’s research examines how commercial marketing, product design, and policy environments influence tobacco and cannabis use behaviors, with a particular focus on youth and young adults. Her work uses experimental, eye-tracking, survey, content analytic, in-depth interviews, and mixed-methods approaches to identify marketing features that shape product appeal, risk perceptions, susceptibility, and use intentions. Her current research focuses on nicotine and cannabis vaping products, intoxicating hemp-derived products, and cannabis-infused beverages, with the goal of informing regulatory science and public health interventions.