Stefanie Gratale Joins the Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies

Stefanie Gratale, Ph.D., M.P.A. has joined the Rutgers School of Public Health’s Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy as an instructor. She has also joined the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies as core faculty.

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.

“Dr. Gratale brings a wealth of experience to her new role at INTS, having already published extensively in the field and earned several awards for her work,” said Cristine Delnevo, director of the Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies. “She adds tremendous value to a team that has a strong foundation in health communication research. And most importantly, her work can make a positive impact on how to effectively counter pro-tobacco marketing and communicate about tobacco prevention and control.”

Currently, 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.

“We are thrilled to be able to recruit Dr. Gratale,” said Paul Duberstein, professor and chair of the Department of Health Behavior, Society, and Policy. “Her expertise in health communication will benefit not only our faculty in tobacco regulatory science, but also our students and other researchers in the department. Health communication is critically important to all four of our department’s concentrations."

Gratale 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. She 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. “I look forward to collaborating with and learning from the amazing Rutgers School of Public Health team,” said Gratale.

“My hope is that my research into tobacco marketing, risk perceptions, and misinformation correction, as well as my teaching in health/risk communication, can contribute to the Rutgers School of Public Health’s work in combating a leading cause of preventable disease and promoting equity by reducing health disparities.”