Clint Fleshman, BS, PMP
Associate Director, Research Center/Manager 3
The Ohio State University
Q: Please describe your current position and research interests.
A: I manage the Wagener and Brinkman labs, and provide support to the El-Hellani lab. My responsibilities revolve around managing and administering our research project portfolio, staffing, and centers. My primary interest is developing and maintaining space, programs, and processes where top notch researchers want to be in order to produce impactful, high quality data.
Q: What do you think is an emerging issue related to nicotine and tobacco?
A: In the United States specifically, as the FDA becomes more and more comfortable with imposing real restrictions on the additives allowed in nicotine and tobacco products, I believe the known deficiency on the enforcement side of such restrictions will garner more attention. Until then, we will continue to see brands and outlets selling products that do not adhere to the regulations our research contributes to by way of advising.
Q: What advice or tips would you offer to new nicotine and tobacco researchers?
A: This is less than new advice, but still important: read the existing literature.
Nicotine and tobacco research has had a lengthy and well funded history. In order to make an impact in this space you must first know what has already been done, and be able to recognize why the studies that made the most impact and produced viable change, did so.
Q: How did you first become interested in nicotine and tobacco research?
A: My journey in nicotine and tobacco research started at Battelle Memorial Institute, where I first worked as a technician running clinical visits much like we do here at the CTR, as well as performing analytical chemistry methods, including particle size distribution, similar to what we do in the College of Public Health. Within Battelle I worked throughout a variety of departments and was able to gain experience in national security, high hazard chemical and biological defense, aerosol weapon detection and mitigation, the national toxicology program, and the national ecological observatory network. Leading projects and teams across these research areas allowed me to come to OSU and approach tobacco research with new perspectives on existing methods.
Q: Describe one of your projects related to nicotine and tobacco research and why you are proud of the project.
A: We are currently in the final stages of a unique project where the primary objective is to design, prototype, validate, patent, and produce a universal adaptor to be used with smoking machines. This adaptor is the device that connects any e-cigarette, cigarette, cigar, cigarillo, or hookah to machines we use in the lab to generate emission samples. This adaptor will provide critical improvement to the nicotine and tobacco research space as there is currently no other adaptor that can mold itself to the wide variety of geometries found primarily in e-cigarettes. Instead, each lab is currently utilizing their own unique methods to connect such devices to smoking machines, which does not allow for easy comparison of data across labs and publications. I am incredibly proud of the team that was assembled for this purpose, a truly collaborative effort, that utilized the expertise of scientists/engineers from across many colleges/departments at OSU, the CDC, FDA, and multiple machine shops. We have completed validation of the adaptor, have filed for the patent, and you will be able to read the published results in Tobacco Control in the near future.
Q: What do you do in your spare time (what are your hobbies)?
A: I spend much of my spare time assisting in the youth organization that gave me a great start in life, 4-H, where I am a club advisor, shooting sports coach, and high ropes instructor. My hobbies include snowboarding, hunting, and repairing old cars with friends.