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Benjamin Toll, PhD

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About

Biography

Dr. Benjamin Toll is a licensed clinical psychologist and a Professor, Adjunct in the Department of Psychiatry. He specializes in clinical research on the treatment of tobacco use disorders, alcohol use disorders, and improvement of health behaviors.

Dr. Toll has received grants from the National Institutes of Health, including multiple R01 grants from the National Cancer Institute, and he is an author of over 130 peer-reviewed publications relating to nicotine and tobacco research, including several clinical trials published in first tier medical (e.g., Journal of the National Cancer Institute) and psychology journals (e.g., Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology) and clinical practice guidelines and policy statements from international medical societies. He has served as an author for the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) on a policy statement encouraging physicians to provide tobacco treatment for cancer patients, the American College of Chest Physician (ACCP) treatment guidelines for smoking cessation among lung cancer patients, and the American Thoracic Society's (ATS) clinical practice guideline for treatment of tobacco dependent adults. He also holds leadership positions in national associations relating to tobacco treatment research. Dr. Toll is a past Board Member for the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT), and a current member of the AACR Tobacco and Cancer Subcommittee.

Dr. Toll’s NCI funded research has focused on testing novel smoking cessation treatments and he has conducted numerous clinical trials in this regard. Many of his studies have investigated promotion of smoking cessation through novel message framing and motivational interventions, including those delivered via telephone and in person. Dr. Toll has tested several pharmacological and counseling interventions, and he also has expertise in the measurement of tobacco use and tobacco related syndromes (e.g., withdrawal, craving), and mediators and moderators of response to treatment. He has served as a reviewer for numerous peer-reviewed publications, including the Surgeon General’s Report (The Health Consequences of Smoking: 50 Years of Progress, Chapter: Cigarette Smoking and Adverse Health Outcomes in Cancer Patients and Survivors).

Departments & Organizations

Education & Training

PhD
Nova Southeastern University (2002)
MS
Nova Southeastern University (1999)
BA
Cornell University (1996)

Research

Overview

Dr. Toll’s primary research interest involves developing novel psychosocial and pharmacological treatments for tobacco use disorders. Current studies focus on message framing to promote smoking cessation. He has been working with the New York State Smokers' Quitline on studies testing gain-framed counseling (e.g., if you quit smoking you will live longer) and mediators and moderators of responses to gain-framed counseling. He has also been working on studies of naltrexone for minimization of post smoking cessation weight gain. In addition, Dr. Toll is involved in several studies of psychometrics, assessment, and methodological issues with addictive behaviors.
  • “Promoting Tobacco and Cancer Control: Message Framing for Telephone Quitline Callers” This project will be a secondary analysis of our New York State Smokers’ Quitline data.
  • “Smoking Cessation to Improve Survival Rates of Head and Neck Cancer Patients” This project is an 8-week, open label clinical trial comparing smoking cessation treatment with varenicline 2 mg to nicotine patch 21 mg in a sample of 30 patients who completed treatment for head and neck cancer.

Medical Research Interests

Global Health; Psychiatry; Smoking Cessation

Research at a Glance

Yale Co-Authors

Frequent collaborators of Benjamin Toll's published research.

Publications

2024

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Academic Achievements & Community Involvement

Activities

  • activity

    Clinical Research Committee, Connecticut Mental Health Center

    07/01/2008 - PresentCommitteesCommittee Member
  • activity

    Yale College Fellowships for Research in Health Studies

    2009 - PresentPeer Review Groups and Grant Study SectionsReviewer

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