Michael Stephen Dunbar

Photo of Michael Dunbar
Behavioral Scientist
Pittsburgh Office

Education

Ph.D. in clinical and health psychology, University of Pittsburgh; M.S. in clinical and health psychology, University of Pittsburgh; B.S. in psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Michael Dunbar (he/him) is a behavioral scientist at the RAND Corporation. His research examines the ways in which situational factors and policy environments influence patterns of health behaviors, like nicotine and tobacco use, as well as health service utilization. Dunbar's work employs a range of methodologies and study designs, including experimental research, semi-structured interviews, surveys, and ecological momentary assessment. His current studies focus on topics such as understanding the effects of tobacco advertising at retail point-of-sale on adolescent smoking susceptibility; examining longitudinal patterns of nicotine and cannabis vaping product use in young adults; and evaluating programs aimed at increasing access to behavioral health services in underserved populations. Dunbar received his Ph.D. in clinical and health psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

Research Focus

Selected Publications

Dunbar, M. S., Nicosia, N., & Kilmer, B., "Exposure to new smoking environments and individual-level cigarette smoking behavior: Insights from exogenous assignment of military personnel," Social Science & Medicine, 280, 2021

Dunbar, M. S., Schultz, D., Chan, W. Y., Abbott, M., & Towe, V. L. "How C2C Transformed Organizational Culture and Approaches to Client Care Coordination," in Ayer, Lynsay and Dana Schultz, eds, Mental Health Task-Shifting in Community-Based Organizations: Implementation, Impact, and Cost — Evaluation of the Connections to Care Program, RAND Corporation (RR-3083-MFANYC), 2021

Dunbar, M.S., Seelam, R., Tucker, J. S., Rodriguez, A., Shih, R., & D’Amico, E. J. , "Correlates of awareness and use of heated tobacco products in a sample of U.S. young adults in 2018–2019," Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 22(12), 2020

Dunbar, M.S,. Davis, J. P., Rodriguez, A., Tucker, J. S., Seelam, R., & D'Amico, E. J. , "Disentangling within- and between-person effects of shared risk factors on e-cigarette and cigarette use trajectories from late adolescence to young adulthood," Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 21(10), 2019

Dunbar, M. S., Sontag-Padilla, L., Seelam, R., Kase, C. A., & Stein, B. D. , "Unmet mental health treatment need and attitudes toward online mental health services in community college students," Psychiatric Services, 69(5), 2018

Ayer, L., Dunbar, M. S., Martineau, M. Stevens, C., Schultz, D., Chan, W., Abbott, M., Weir, R., Liu, H. H., Siconolfi, D., & Towe, V. L. , Evaluation of the Connections to Care (C2C) Initiative: Interim Report., RAND Corporation (RR-2497-MFANYC), 2018

Dunbar, M.S., Sontag-Padilla, L., Ramchand, R., Seelam, R., & Stein, B.D. , "Mental health service utilization among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer or questioning college students," Journal of Adolescent Health, 61(3), 2017

Dunbar, M. S., Shadel, W. G., Tucker, J. S., & Edelen, M. O., "Use of and reasons for using multiple other tobacco products in daily and nondaily smokers: associations with cigarette consumption and nicotine dependence," Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 168, 2016

Commentary

  • Vape liquids for sale in New York, New York, September 20, 2018

    Vaping May Have Its Place, Just Not With Teens

    While e-cigarettes may be a “safer” option for adult smokers, they are not safe for young people. Teens who vape are significantly more likely to start smoking traditional cigarettes in the future.

    Dec 17, 2018 CNN

Publications