Laraib Mazhar, DrPH

Senior Associate Scientist
Tobacco Control Research

Headshot of Laraib Mazhar, DrPH, in a black and white striped blouse and black hijab

What Inspires My Work at the ACS

During my training as a dental surgeon in Pakistan, I saw many patients with head and neck cancers caused by tobacco, especially smokeless tobacco. Some cases were so advanced that surgery altered patients' facial structure, taking away their ability to eat, drink, and smile the way they used to. What struck me most was that even after a cancer diagnosis, some patients still could not quit tobacco, a reminder of how deeply addiction can grip a person and how much earlier we needed to intervene. That experience led me to epidemiology and tobacco control research, generating evidence to inform policy and protect communities, a path I am excited to continue at ACS.”

At ACS since 2026

Laraib Mazhar, DrPH, is a senior associate scientist in Tobacco Control Research team within Surveillance, Prevention, & Health Services Research (SPHeRe) at the American Cancer Society (ACS). Her research focuses on tobacco regulatory science, tobacco and nicotine use, smoking cessation and harm reduction, emerging nicotine products, and the social determinants of tobacco-related health outcomes. She uses epidemiologic and population-based research methods to generate policy-relevant evidence and inform equitable cancer prevention and tobacco control efforts.

Research focus and accomplishments

Before joining ACS, Laraib Mazhar was a Graduate Research Assistant and Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS) Scholar at Penn State College of Medicine. Her doctoral research examined how social determinants of health influence participation, retention, smoking reduction, and cessation outcomes in randomized e-cigarette trials.  She also served as Principal Investigator of a TCORS pilot grant examining oral nicotine pouch awareness, harm perceptions, dependence and use behaviors among adults who use cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and oral nicotine pouches.

Before her doctoral training, she contributed to the ASTRA (Addressing Smokeless Tobacco and Building Research Capacity in South Asia) project, a multi-country tobacco control initiative across Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Her work included a pilot randomized controlled trial evaluating behavioral support and nicotine replacement therapy for smokeless tobacco cessation.

Her research interests include tobacco cessation and harm reduction, emerging nicotine products, health disparities, and population-level tobacco use. At ACS, she continues this work with a focus on identifying the burden and disparities associated with tobacco use and emerging nicotine products and informing population-level approaches to reduce tobacco-related cancer burden.

Contact

Work before ACS

  • Penn State College of Medicine
    • Graduate Research Assistant
    • Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science Scholar
  • Aga Khan University
    • Research, Instructor
    • ASTRA Project, Trial Coordinator
  • Abbassi Shaheed Hospital, House Officer, Intern

Education

  • DrPH: Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Pennsylvania State University, 2026
  • MSc: Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Aga Khan University, 2019
  • BDS: Dental Surgery, University of Karachi, 2015

Personal life 

I recently moved to Philadelphia after graduating from the "Sweetest Place on Earth," Hershey, and I'm excited to explore the city and build new connections. I enjoy traveling, photography, cooking for friends, and staying connected with my family back home.