Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Faculty Member

Pamela Kaufman MLA, PhD

Research Interests

• tobacco control
• secondhand smoke
• qualitative research methods

Education & Training History

• 2000, PhD, Environmental Design, University of Canberra, Australia
• 1992, MLA, Landscape Architecture, University of Guelph
• 1986, BA (Honours), Anthropology, McMaster University

Other Affiliations

• Scientist and Project Lead- Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
• Mentor, Collaborative Specialization in Public Health Policy, Dalla Lana School of Public Health
• Affiliate, Strategic Design and Evaluation Initiative, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Primary Teaching Responsibilities

• Advanced Analysis of Topical Issues in Public Health Policy (CHL5309H)
• Public Health Policy Collaborative Specialization Seminar (SRM3333Y)

Professional Summary & Appointments

Dr. Pamela Kaufman is an Assistant Professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and a Scientist with the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit (OTRU). Her program of research addresses physical and social environment factors that affect the development and implementation of public health policies, and the beneficial effects and unintended consequences of such policies. Projects include physical and social exposure to smoking, vaping and cannabis use in public spaces and multi-unit housing; development and evaluation of smoking and vaping cessation programs for youth and young adults; and evaluation of a multi-province workplace-based smoking cessation initiative in the construction sector.

Honours & Awards

• Overseas Postgraduate Research Scholarship, University of Canberra, 1996-1999
• Davison Travel Award, University of Guelph, 1992

Current and Past Research Projects

• CIHR- Cannabis Policy Team Grant. April 1, 2020- March 31, 2023. “Triangulating evidence to evaluate the impact of cannabis policies in Ontario.” T Elton-Marshall (PI), R Schwartz (Co-PI); S Rueda, H Hamilton, S Imtiaz, B Sornpaisarn, R Mann, P Kaufman, M Chaiton, S O’Connor, B Agic, S Wells (Co-I’s); M Tadrous, L Pisko (Collaborators). $500,000.
• CIHR- Project Grant. October 1 2019- September 30 2022. “Vaping e-cigarettes: Prospective Outcome Study.” R Schwartz (PI); M Chaiton, S Bondy, J Cohen, P Kaufman, M Stanbrook (Co-I’s). $382,500.
• Public Health Agency of Canada. September 2019 – August 2023. “All Together Now!” An intervention to reach LGBTQI2S+ young adult smokers.” R Schwartz (PA), M Chaiton, Bruce Baskerville (Co-A’s); Canadian Cancer Society and Public Health Ontario (senior partner agencies); P Kaufman (evaluation lead from 2019-March 2022). $2,967,987.
• Lung Health Foundation- Contract. February 1, 2020- November 30, 2022. “QUASH: Evaluation of an Online Youth Smoking and Vaping Cessation Project.” R Schwartz (PI), P Kaufman (Co-I); $95,000.
• Health Canada- Substance Use and Addictions Program. September 1, 2019- August 31, 2022. “Designing youth vaping cessation interventions.” R Schwartz (PI), M Chaiton (Co-PI); P Feng, P Kaufman, S Bondy (Co-I’s). $1,519,995.
• Canadian Cancer Society- Contract. January 1, 2019-March 31, 2023. “Construction industry tobacco cessation project: Build Smoke-Free.” R Schwartz (PI), P Kaufman (Co-I and evaluation lead). $400,000.
• CIHR- Catalyst Grant- Legalization of Cannabis. April 2018-March 2019. “Enabling the advancement of monitoring and knowledge on exposure to cannabis use”. P Kaufman (PI); S O’Connor, M Chaiton, R Schwartz (Co-Is); L Pisko (Principal Knowledge User). $100,000.
• Ontario Lung Association. Evaluation of the Youth Advocacy Training Institute (YATI) and Not On Tobacco (N.O.T) Program. March 31, 2015-May 31, 2018. Contracts awarded to the Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. R. Schwartz (PA), P Kaufman (lead). $78,000.
• CIHR- Operating Grant- Pathways to Health Equity. Institute of Population and Public Health (IPPH). March 2012-February 2013. “Smoke-free affordable housing in Canada: promoting health and health equity”. P Kaufman (PI), RD Kennedy, R Ferrence, P Beck (Co-Is). $100,000.
• CIHR- Planning Grant- Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes. March 2012-February 2013. “Tasting school lunch: a comparative ethnography of how and why children eat the way they do”. C Mah (PI); D Bisson, P Dorfman, P Kaufman (Co-Is). $24,808.
• OTRU Core Funded- April 2012-March 2013. “Physical and social exposure to smoking among youth and young adults.” P kaufman (lead); M Chaiton (co-Lead)
• CIHR- Meeting Planning and Dissemination Grant- Dissemination Events. October 2011-September 2012. “Putting thirdhand smoke on the policy agenda: an expert panel”. P Kaufman (PI); R Ferrence, B Zhang, M Pope (Co-Is). $25,000.
• CIHR- Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research, Training Grant. April 2009 – March 2015. “CIHR Strategic Training Program in Public Health Policy”. R Schwartz and JE Cohen (co-PIs), P Kaufman (Co-I). $1,784,790.

Selected Publications

• Driezen P, Kaufman P, Chaiton M, Goodman S, Hamond D. Prevalence and factors associated with self-reported exposure to secondhand cannabis smoke in the United States and Canada in 2019. Preventive Medicine 157:107006, 2022.
• Sanchez S, Kaufman P, Pelletier H, Baskerville B, Feng P, O’Connor S, Schwartz R, Chaiton M. Is vaping cessation like smoking cessation? A qualitative study exploring the responses of youth and young adults who vape e-cigarettes. Addictive Behaviors 113:106687, 2021.
• Jayakumar N, Chaiton M, Goodwin R, Schwartz R, O’Connor S, Kaufman P. Co-use and mixing tobacco with cannabis among Ontario adults. Nicotine & Tobacco Research 7;23(1):171-178, 2021
• Lee K, Kaufman P. The effect of urban density on mental health: a systematic review. University of Toronto Medical Journal 97(2), 2020.
• Chu A, Kaufman P, Chaiton M. Prevalence of involuntary environmental cannabis and tobacco smoke exposure in multi-unit housing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16 (18), pii: E3332, 2019. Open Access
• Kaufman P, Dubray J, Soule EK, Cobb CO, Zarins S, Schwartz R. Analysis of secondhand e-cigarette aerosol compounds in an indoor setting. Tobacco Regulatory Science 4(3):29-37,  2018.
• Kaufman P, Kang J, Kennedy RD, Ferrence, R. Impacts of Smoke-Free Affordable Housing Policies on Compliance and Smoking Behaviour. Preventive Medicine Reports 10:29-36, 2018.
• Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2017. Smoke-Free Ontario Scientific Advisory Committee, Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). Evidence to guide action: comprehensive tobacco control in Ontario (2016). Toronto, ON: Queen’s Printer for Ontario; 2017.
• Kaufman P, Diemert L. Environmental Scan of Workplace Tobacco Control Activities in Ontario Public Health Units. OTRU Special Report. Toronto: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, March 2017.
• Hassen N and Kaufman P. Examining the role of urban street design in enhancing community engagement: A literature review. Health and Place 41:119–132, 2016.
• Dubray J, Schwartz R, Kaufman P. Evaluation of the Amended Toronto Smoke-Free Bylaws: Summary of the Baseline and Follow-Up Assessments. OTRU Special Report. Toronto: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, July 2016.
• Chaiton M, Kaufman P, Ferrence R, O’Connor S, Schwartz R. Support for Plain and Standardized Tobacco Packaging Regulations in Ontario. OTRU Update. Toronto: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, May 2016.
• Kennedy RD, Ellens-Clark S, Nagge L, Douglas O, Madill C, Kaufman P. A smoke-free community housing policy: changes in reported smoking behaviour- findings from Waterloo Region, Canada. Journal of Community Health 40(6):1207-1520, 2015.
• Kaufman P, Borland T, Taylor E., Luk R, Schwartz R. Workplace-Based Cessation Demonstration Projects Evaluation. 2013-2014 Interim Report. Toronto: Ontario Tobacco Research Unit. March 31, 2014.
• Zhang B, Haji F, Kaufman P, Muir S, Ferrence R. ‘Enter at your own risk’: a multi-method study of air quality and biological measures in Canadian waterpipe cafes. Tobacco Control. Published Online. 25 October 2013.
• Kaufman P, Borland T, Taylor E, Luk R, Schwartz R. Evaluation of the Workplace-based Cessation Demonstration Projects Initiative. OTRU Evaluation News 6(1). Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, July 2013.
• Kennedy RD, Ellens-Clark S, Kaufman P, Douglas O. Smoke-free Housing Policy Evaluation – Findings of the 2013 Waterloo Region Housing and Region of Waterloo Community Housing Inc. Household Tenant Survey. Waterloo, ON: Propel Centre for Population Health Impact, University of Waterloo, 2013.
• Kaufman P, Pope M, Smith M, Zhang B, Tyndall L, Ferrence R. Putting Thirdhand Smoke on the Policy and Research Agenda: Knowledge User Survey Results. OTRU Update. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, November 2012.
• Kaufman P, Zhang B, Bondy SJ, Klepeis N, Ferrence R. Not just “a few wisps”: Real-time Measurement of Tobacco Smoke at Entrances to Office Buildings. Tobacco Control 20(3): 212-218, 2011.
• Kaufman P. Secondhand Smoke Exposure at Building Entrances: A Public Health Concern. OTRU Study Update. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, April 2011.
• Kaufman P, Griffin K, Ferrence R, Cohen J, Perkins N. Smoking in Urban Outdoor Public Places: Behaviour, Experiences and Implications for Public Health. Health and Place 16: 961-968, 2010.
• Kaufman P, Ferrence R, Cohen J, Perkins N, Griffin K. Smoking in Outdoor Public Spaces: Behaviours and Experiences of Smokers and Non-Smokers. OTRU Study Update. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, August 2010.
• Kaufman P, Zhang B, Bondy S, Ferrence R, Cohen J, Garcia J, Griffin K, McDonald P. Reports of Tobacco Smoke Entering Ontario Homes. OTRU Update. Ontario Tobacco Research Unit, March 2009.
• Kaufman P, Cohen J, Ashley MJ, Halyk A, Ferrence R, Turcotte F, Kyle K, Stewart D. Tobacco industry links to Faculties of Medicine in Canada. Canadian Journal of Public Health 95(3): 205-8, 2004.