Dr. Nancy Jao (she/her) is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Health, Behaviors, and Tobacco Use (HaBiT) Research Lab in the Department of Psychology at RFUMS. Dr. Jao completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She completed her clinical psychology internship at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and remained as a NIH Post-Doctoral Research Fellow funded by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) T32 Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine Research Fellowship. She joined the Department of Psychology at RFUMS in 2022.

Research Interests

Dr. Jao’s program of research focuses on utilizing a translational science approach to understand the impact of tobacco products and characteristics (e.g., flavoring, additives, nicotine content) on dependence and health outcomes. She is particularly interested in examining underlying biobehavioral relationships to understand the impact of smoking on biological processes to contribute to nicotine dependence and health disparities. Her work has also examined tobacco use in vulnerable and minoritized populations, including pregnant women, racial minorities, and clinical populations.

Dr. Jao’s current research focuses on understanding the behavioral and health effects of characterizing flavors in combustible tobacco products to help regulatory agencies identify and quantify the potential impact of public policies. Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), her current primary research project is a clinical trial study aiming to examine the effect of menthol cigarette use on changes in biobehavioral measures of cardiovascular health across five weeks. Utilizing biomarkers of systemic inflammation and ecological momentary assessments (EMA), her study focuses on understanding how a ban of menthol as a characterizing flavor in combustible cigarettes may impact individuals’ behaviors and health outcomes.

Dr. Jao also has several other ongoing research projects, including:

• Investigating the impact of flavored e-cigarette use and nicotine metabolism on inflammatory biomarkers in longitudinal, nationally-representative studies;
• Utilizing artificial intelligence programming to develop a new wrist-worn device to measure and track real-time smoking behavior; and
• Engaging with community partners to examine the impact of smoking and stigma in minoritized populations (e.g., LGBTQ+ individuals, rural populations).

Want to know more about the HaBiT Research Lab?

Follow our Instagram page () or visit our for the most frequent updates of research projects and news about our lab. You can also connect with Dr. Jao on Twitter at .

Are You a Prospective Graduate Student?

Dr. Jao will be reviewing applications for the Clinical Psychology PhD program for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Please note that to remain unbiased in the review of applications and to be equitable across all applicants, it is our department’s policy to not meet individually with applicants prior to our PhD Interview Day. However, if you have a specific question that cannot be answered through our webpage and would influence your decision to apply, you are welcome to reach out to Dr. Jao with brief questions.

Current Students

Vanessa Y. Fishel, BS (she/her)
2nd Year Clinical Psychology PhD Student

Vanessa Fishel joined the HaBiT Research Lab as a Clinical Psychology PhD student in August 2023. After graduating with a BS in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh, Vanessa worked as a research assistant in the Center for the Evaluation of Nicotine in Cigarettes (CENiC) on clinical trials research examining the effects of reduced nicotine cigarettes on cessation, and then in the Clinical Neurophysiological Research Lab (CNRL) examining biomarkers for psychosis using EEG, MEG, and fMRI/MRI. She has also worked as a Project Manager on the Texas Twin Project investigating individual differences in behavioral genetics. Vanessa’s work experience has allowed her to gain familiarity with various research methodologies, including neuroimaging, behavioral genetics, biomarkers, and survey data. Her research interests lie in using these and other modalities to investigate factors related to smoking cessation, including stigma, relapse, and long-term health outcomes.

Crystal Ebeh, BS (she/her)
1st year Clinical Counseling Master’s student

Crystal Ebeh joined the HaBiT Research Lab as a Clinical Counseling MS student in November 2024. Crystal graduated with a B.S. in Psychology from the University of North Texas where she worked as a research assistant in the Center for Psychosocial Health Disparities Research, examining diversity percentages in graduate school programs. Currently, she works as a mental health professional in a residential mental health facility that specializes in serious cases of mental illness. Crystal's research interests focus on the biological and psychological mechanisms underlying the progression of psychosis, with particular emphasis on the role of substances in influencing its development and course.

Recent Publications (Selected)

Jao NC, Papandonatos GD, Stanfield J, Borba K, Stroud LR.  J Addict Dis. 2023 Feb 3;:1-11. doi: 10.1080/10550887.2023.2170703. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 36734291; NIHMSID:NIHMS1875444.

Jao NC, Martinez-Cardoso A, Vahora M, Tan MM.  Prev Med Rep. 2022 Aug;28:101885. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101885. eCollection 2022 Aug. PubMed PMID: 35855919; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9287345.

Stroud LR, Papandonatos GD, Jao NC, Niaura R, Buka S, Benowitz NL.  Drug Alcohol Depend. 2022 Apr 1;233:109358. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2022.109358. Epub 2022 Feb 17. PubMed PMID: 35247723; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8977115.

Jao NC, Sokol NA, Vergara-Lopez C, Borba K, Scott-Sheldon LAJ, Stroud LR.  J Addict Dis. 2022 Apr-Jun;40(2):247-253. doi: 10.1080/10550887.2021.1981123. Epub 2021 Nov 9. PubMed PMID: 34751106; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9058148.

Jao NC, Gueorguieva R, Hitsman B, Sofuoglu M.  Addict Behav. 2021 Nov;122:107022. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.107022. Epub 2021 Jun 18. PubMed PMID: 34174551; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8328965.

Jao NC, Levin ED, Simon MA, Hitsman B.  Nicotine Tob Res. 2021 Oct 7;23(11):1902-1910. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntab120. PubMed PMID: 34086950; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8691064.

Please see Dr. Jao’s for a complete list of her published work.