Erik J. Rodriquez, Ph.D., M.P.H., joined the Office of Disease Prevention (ODP) in May 2024 to support the implementation of the Tobacco Regulatory Science Program and other ODP initiatives. As a Health Scientist Administrator, he works with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and extramural scientists to coordinate grant and training activities to advance tobacco regulatory science. He also participates in interagency research initiatives related to disease prevention, tobacco control, and public health.

Prior to joining ODP, Dr. Rodriquez was a Staff Scientist and Lab Manager for the Minority Health and Health Disparities Population Laboratory in the Division of Intramural Research of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). His research has mainly focused on the impact of social and structural determinants of health on health behaviors and outcomes using data from a variety of existing studies. Some of these studies include the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos, Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health, Global Burden of Disease Study, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Health and Retirement Study, National Health Interview Survey, and other regional studies. During his time at NHLBI, he received an NIH Director’s Award for his efforts on the Racial and Ethnic Equity Plan Committee as well as a National Cancer Institute Director’s Award for his collaboration on the Population Science-Premature Mortality Project Team. He has more than 10 years of experience in conducting tobacco use behavior research and over 20 years of scientific work among health disparities populations. 

Dr. Rodriquez is a biobehavioral epidemiologist, having received a Master of Public Health from Loma Linda University, postgraduate training from the California Department of Public Health, a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, and postdoctoral training from the University of California, San Francisco.