Stefanie Gratale, PhD, MPA (she/her/hers)
Biography
Stefanie Gratale, Ph.D., M.P.A., is an instructor in the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health and core faculty at the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies. She received her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication. Prior to receiving her doctorate, she completed a Presidential Management Fellowship and worked as an analyst in the federal government. Dr. Gratale completed her Master of Public Administration at The George Washington University and Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies at The College of New Jersey. Before her current role, she served as a postdoctoral fellow at the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies.
Research Interests
Dr. Gratale’s research focuses on health communication issues related to tobacco control. Her research interests include experimental and survey methodologies as well as mixed methods approaches in tobacco control research. She is particularly interested in tobacco marketing features and effects, the emergence and correction of public misperceptions about tobacco product risks, and the role of regulatory interventions.
Currently, Dr. Gratale is conducting research via a National Institutes of Health-funded K01 award on the evolution and implications of suggestive marketing for “natural” cigarette and cigarillo products, particularly the effects among youth and young adults.