In addition to serving as a member of the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC – James, Dr. Mays is an associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology and Assistant Dean for Research & Tenure Track Faculty at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He is also Director of Training at the OSUCCC – James Center for Tobacco Research. He has authored and co-authored publications in numerous scientific journals, including Tobacco Control, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, and Addictive Behaviors.
Principal Investigator
Other Team Members
Lauren Long, MPH, CCRP – Research Coordinator
Mahmood Alalwan, PhD, MS, RRT-NPS – Postdoctoral Scholar
Aadeeba Kaareen – Graduate Research Assistant
Elsa Alvarado – Clinical Research Assistant
Collaboration With Other Ohio State Labs and Research Teams
Researchers at the Mays Lab are inspired by one goal: to prevent and reduce cancer and other health issues caused by tobacco use. This requires multiple, population-based strategies, and the team’s research is poised to contribute significantly to reductions in cancer caused by tobacco use.
The culture found in the Mays Lab is team-oriented. Investigators, collaborators, staff, students and trainees are all highly valued contributors to their mission, and by eliminating a structure based on hierarchy, the Mays Lab experts instead work together — on level and common ground — to accomplish the same goal.
The lab’s many collaborations include working with the following researchers:
- Theodore Wagener, PhD, director of the OSUCCC – James Center for Tobacco Research, professor, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
- Megan Roberts, PhD, associate professor, The Ohio State University College of Public Health
- Elizabeth Klein, PhD, MPH, professor and Chair, Health Behavior and Health Promotion, The Ohio State University College of Public Health
- Ce Shang, PhD, associate professor, OSUCCC – James Center for Tobacco Research and The Ohio State University College of Medicine
- Abby Shoben, PhD, associate professor, The Ohio State University College of Public Health
- Marielle Brinkman, BS, research professor, The Ohio State University College of Public Health
- Micah Berman, JD, professor, The Ohio State University College of Public Health and Michael E. Moritz College of Law
- Brittney Keller-Hamilton, PhD, MPH, assistant professor, OSUCCC – James Center for Tobacco Research and The Ohio State University College of Medicine
- Joanne G. Patterson, PhD, MPH, MSW, assistant professor, OSUCCC – James Center for Tobacco Research and The Ohio State University college of Public Health
External collaborators include:
- Andrea Villanti, PhD, MPH, Deputy Director, Center for Tobacco studies, associate professor, Rutgers University School of Public Health
- Andrew Strasser, PhD, research professor, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
- Isaac Lipkus, PhD, professor, Duke University School of Nursing
- Glenn Leshner, PhD, professor, Center for Applied Social Research, University of Oklahoma
- Elise Stevens, PhD, assistant professor, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Collaborators include behavioral scientists, epidemiologists, communication and marketing scientists, psychologists, statisticians, lawyers, and more specialists in other disciplines and backgrounds.
It’s through this multidisciplinary collaboration that Mays Lab researchers find the greatest value, driving much of the work the team conducts to effective interventions. Bringing together researchers from different locations, backgrounds and areas of expertise inspires the team to think outside the norm, guide strategic innovation and determine ways the team can create an even bigger impact.
The immediate need for collaborators centers on the particular questions the team is working to answer. For example, the research that the lab conducts on public education messaging requires the expertise of behavioral scientists, communication researchers, and other professionals.
The lab also looks for collaborators who bring unique perspectives and ideas to the research questions that the team pursues. Creative solutions to complex cancer control problems require unique perspectives, and this mentality guides the Mays Lab's research specialists’ work.
For more information on the team, collaborations, opportunities and lab-specific inquiries, please contact MaysLab@osumc.edu.