Defining Tobacco Regulatory Science Competencies.
BACKGROUND
In 2013, the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration funded a network of 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science (TCORS) with a mission that included research and training. A cross-TCORS Panel was established to define tobacco regulatory science (TRS) competencies to help harmonize and guide their emerging educational programs. The purpose of this paper is to describe the Panel's work to develop core TRS domains and competencies.


METHODS
The Panel developed the list of domains and competencies using a semistructured Delphi method divided into four phases occurring between November 2013 and August 2015.


RESULTS
The final proposed list included a total of 51 competencies across six core domains and 28 competencies across five specialized domains.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need for continued discussion to establish the utility of the proposed set of competencies for emerging TRS curricula and to identify the best strategies for incorporating these competencies into TRS training programs. Given the field's broad multidisciplinary nature, further experience is needed to refine the core domains that should be covered in TRS training programs versus knowledge obtained in more specialized programs.


CONCLUSIONS
Regulatory science to inform the regulation of tobacco products is an emerging field. The paper provides an initial list of core and specialized domains and competencies to be used in developing curricula for new and emerging training programs aimed at preparing a new cohort of scientists to conduct critical TRS research.
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; hwipfli@med.usc.edu.
Heather L
HL
Wipfli
Ohio State University, College of Public Health & Moritz College of Law, Columbus, OH.
Micah
M
Berman
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Austin, TX.
Kacey
K
Hanson
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Austin, TX.
Steven
S
Kelder
Westat Inc., Rockville, MD.
Amy
A
Solis
Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at Truth Initiative, Washington, DC.
Andrea C
AC
Villanti
Department of Medicine/Pulmonary Division, Marsico Lung Institute and Cystic Fibrosis Center; Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC.
Carla M P
CM
Ribeiro
Office of Disease Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
Helen I
HI
Meissner
University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA.
Roger
R
Anderson
D019985:Benchmarking; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic; D006075:Governing Board / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D009316:National Institutes of Health (U.S.); D012907:Smoking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D019460:Tobacco Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration