UIC researchers get $14.2M for tobacco studies

The National Cancer Institute has awarded $14.2 million in grants to the University of Illinois at Chicago for tobacco research.

The funding announced Monday goes to two research projects. In one, scientist Sherry Emery and her colleagues will measure how media messages - including on the Internet and in social media - affect smoking behavior and attitudes.

In another, Frank Chaloupka and his colleagues will look at the effect of taxes and price reductions on tobacco purchasing. They'll examine whether consumers will avoid paying taxes on tobacco by crossing county or state borders, or by buying tobacco online or by phone.

The two 5-year studies at UIC's Institute for Health Research and Policy build on previous research conducted by the institute to better unde