Carla Berg

Carla J. Berg, PhD, MBA, LP is a Professor in the Department of Prevention and Community Health in the Milken Institute School of Public Health and the Associate Center Director for Population Sciences and Policy within the George Washington Cancer Center. She received her Ph.D. in clinical health psychology from the University of Kansas, completed her residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School in behavioral medicine, and then completed her postdoctoral training at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Medicine. She also completed her MBA at Emory University in 2017. She was faculty at Emory from 2009 to 2019, transitioning to George Washington University in the Summer of 2019. Her research primarily focuses on social determinants of substance use, particularly tobacco and marijuana, ranging from macro-level factors such as policy and marketing to interpersonal and individual factors (e.g., psychological, biological). She has also conducted research regarding health behaviors and quality of life among cancer survivors. Methodologically, she has conducted large-scale survey studies involving both cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, mixed-methods studies, and individual- and community-level randomized controlled trials, among others. 

Below is a list of some of prominent research projects on which she serves as Principal Investigator (PI) or Multiple Principal Investigator (MPI), beginning with most recent (current only):

CARMA (Cannabis Regulation, Marketing & Appeal Study): Advertising and Retail Recreational Marijuana Marketing and Young Adult Consumer Behavior (NIDA R01; MPIs: Berg, Cavazos-Rehg); 4/1/2022-2/28/2027: This 5-year grant aims to conduct surveillance of retail marijuana marketing and young adult consumer behavior impact.

AWARE (Achieving Wellness After Reaching the End of treatment): An mHealth Positive Psychology Intervention to Reduce Cancer Burden in Young Adult Cancer Survivors (NCI R21; MPIs: Berg, Arem); 8/16/2022-7/31/2024): Over the course of two years, this program will develop and test an innovative, technology-based intervention to improve quality of life among young adult cancer survivors.

GATHER-SFH (Georgia and Armenia Teams for Healthy Environments and Research - Smoke-Free Homes): Implementing a Scalable Smoke-free Home Intervention in Armenia and Georgia (NCI R01; MPIs: Berg, Kegler); 2/1/2023-1/31/2028: Over the course of five years, this study will adapt an evidence-based smoke-free home intervention for homes in Armenia and Georgia, develop capacity to deliver the intervention via local community partners and the national quitlines, and test the intervention in a hybrid effectiveness-implementation RCT. 

Armenia-US Collaboration to Address Chronic Disease via Education in Social Determinants Science (ACCESS) (Fogarty D43; MPIs: Berg, Paichadze, Petrosyan); 3/1/2023-2/29/2028: The goal of this five-year program is to enhance research capacity in noncommunicable disease (NCD) prevention and control, specifically emphasizing social determinants of NCD risk factors, in Armenia.

The Emory-Georgia Clean Air Research and Education (CARE) Program (NIEHS/Fogarty D43; MPIs: Berg, Caudle, Sturua); 9/13/2019-5/31/2024: The goal of this five-year grant is to develop capacity to conduct research on the impact of environmental exposures on non-communicable diseases, with a focus on air and environmental tobacco smoke, in the Republic of Georgia.          

IQOS Marketing and Consumer Behavior in Israel and the US: Translating Existing Evidence to Advance US Regulation (NCI R01; MPIs: Berg, Levine); 09/18/2019-08/31/2023: Over the course of three years, this study examines the marketing practices of Philip Morris International in promoting the heat-not-burn product IQOS and the impact on consumer behavior among Israeli and US adults.

Regulatory Impact on Vape Shops and Young Adults’ Use of ENDS (NCI R01; PI: Berg); 12/1/2017-11/30/2023: Over the course of four years of FDA regulatory activities, this study examines vape shop landscape, marketing practices of vape shops, and the impact on young adult e-cigarette use in 6 US cities.

Smoke-free Air Coalitions in Georgia and Armenia: A Community Randomized Trial (Fogarty R01; MPIs: Berg, Kegler); 8/22/2017-3/30/2023: The goal of this research capacity building grant is to test the efficacy of a local community coalitions in promoting local smoke-free policies in Georgia and Armenia and ultimately the impact on secondhand smoke exposure. Study link: http://web1.sph.emory.edu/eprc/research/gather.html/       

She also serves as Co-Investigator (Co-I) on several collaborative grants, for example:

US-Zambia Addressing Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases (Fogarty D43; Role: Co-I; MPIs: Hyder, Michelo, Paichadze); 4/1/2022-2/28/2027: This global training grant aims to enhance capacity for research, training and policy direction on the long-term health and economic consequences of major risk factors for NCDs in Zambia.

Smokers’ Decision-Making about Tobacco Use: The Interplay of Affective and Cognitive Factors with Product Characteristics (NCI R01; Role: Co-I; MPIs: Pachecek, Weaver); 9/19/2019-8/31/2024: The goal of this research is to provide timely evidence about how product characteristics affect consumer decision-making and tobacco use behaviors of adult smokers to inform the tobacco regulatory science base needed for product review decisions and product standards for ENDS and emerging tobacco product innovations (e.g., HNB).

Integrating a Smoke-Free Homes Intervention into the 5A's to Support Cessation (NCI R01; Role: Co-I; PI: Kegler); 7/4/2019-6/30/2024: This application proposes a randomized controlled trial (RTC) to integrate, test the efficacy, as well as conduct a process evaluation, of an effective smoke-free homes (SFHs) intervention with the USPSTF recommended Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, and Arrange (5A) approach for tobacco cessation, in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).