Grantee: Erin A. McClure, PhD

Erin A. McClure, PhD

• Medical University of South Carolina

Current Title
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina

Describe your scientific identity.
I am a behavioral psychologist and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina. I am a researcher who is broadly interested in the study of behavior change to promote healthy lifestyles.

What are your research interests?
My research interests focus on improving strategies to treat cigarette smoking and study the complex process of relapse, while integrating technology to improve research and treatment efforts.

What is the significance of your current research project?
I currently have funding from the National Cancer Institute to study cannabis and tobacco co-use and the impact of co-use on cessation outcomes. I am also interested in the relationship between cannabis and tobacco and how they interact and change during tobacco cessation.

What motivated you to work in tobacco control research?
I have scientific interests in behavior change, but I am specifically interested in why unhealthy behaviors persist, even when faced with immediate adverse consequences or the potential for long-term adverse consequences (e.g., poor health, increased cancer risk, etc.). Quitting smoking will never be easy, but I hope my work will help to maximize the likelihood that an individual will successfully quit the first time.

Describe something that had a profound influence on your program of research or scientific interests (an "ah-ha!" moment).
I have always had an interest in understanding behavior. Why do people behave in certain ways? What leads people to make certain decisions over others? And how can we help people to make better decisions? These are the questions that had a profound influence on my decision to obtain a degree in psychology and devote my career to studying behavior change, as it relates to substance use and smoking, in particular. Everyone struggles to change their own behavior, so how can science help?

Selected training, awards, and honors:

• Associate Editor, Addictive Behaviors
• Member, Women Scholars Initiative at the Medical University of South Carolina
• Assists in organizing an annual program for faculty focused on advancement, leadership, and promotion in academia