Washington – October 05, 2026 -- Truth Initiative, the largest U.S. nonprofit focused on nicotine addiction prevention, has named Dr. Vaughan Rees as Chief Research Officer effective October 27, succeeding Dr. Barbara Schillo.
Harvard tobacco control director takes over Schroeder Institute research arm
Rees joins from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he has directed the Center for Global Tobacco Control since 2015 and served as Senior Lecturer on Social and Behavioral Sciences. He will lead the Schroeder Institute, Truth Initiative's scientific enterprise, overseeing a research portfolio spanning tobacco and nicotine, addiction science, behavioral health, emerging nicotine products, cannabis and polysubstance use.
CEO cites plan to broaden scientific scope beyond nicotine to opioids and cannabis
Kathy Crosby, CEO and president of Truth Initiative, said Rees' expertise aligns with the organization's intent to extend its science and behavior-change capabilities to broader addiction challenges affecting young people, including nicotine, cannabis and opioids. Rees said he aims to better understand the processes driving addiction and translate findings into prevention, treatment and public health policy.
Incoming research chief has directed more than $12 million in external funding
Over a 25-year career, Rees has served as Principal Investigator on a multidisciplinary research portfolio backed by over $12 million in external funding and has contributed to collaborative research programs exceeding $50 million. His laboratory-based tobacco research at Harvard has examined tobacco products, consumer behavior and regulatory science questions. He has advised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Rees has mentored more than 60 master's students and 12 doctoral candidates
His research has also covered cannabis and nicotine co-use, cannabis retailer availability and broader drug-attributable harms. He has mentored more than 60 master's students, 12 doctoral students, and numerous postdoctoral fellows and early-career investigators throughout his career.
Outgoing research chief Schillo credited with building national reputation for policy-relevant research
Crosby credited Schillo's leadership for strengthening Truth Initiative's scientific foundation and developing researchers whose work has informed public health policy. Rees will build on that foundation as the organization expands its addiction research agenda.