Allison M. Schmidt, Ph.D.

Research Scientist
She/Her/Hers

IRT About Us Profile

OVERVIEW

Dr. Allison Schmidt is a behavioral scientist and public health researcher with experience in impaired driving and tobacco and substance use prevention, especially among young adults. She is the Co-Principal Investigator of the Plan My Ride and Workplace Wellness Resources projects and has supported many other research and intervention development projects while at iRT. She has authored, evaluated, and disseminated skill-building trainings and tools at iRT for organizations and individuals on a variety of behavioral health topics including substance use, impaired driving, sexual and relationship health, healthy eating, physical activity, and workplace health. When she isn’t doing research, Dr. Schmidt can be found west coast swing dancing, taking on a new craft, or somewhere outside hiking or swimming.

BACKGROUND

Ph.D., Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.P.H. Health Behavior, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
B.A., Psychology, Scripps College

PUBLICATIONS

Schmidt, A. M., Golden, S. D., Gottfredson, N., C., Ennett, S. T., Aiello, A. E., & Ribisl, K. M. (2019). Psychological health and smoking in young adulthood. Emerging Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167696819858812

Schmidt, A. M., Kowitt, S., Myers, A., & Goldstein, A. O. (2018). Attitudes towards potential new tobacco control regulations among U.S. adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15, 72; doi:10.3390/ijerph15010072. PMC5800171.

Schmidt, A.M., Jarman, K., Ranney, L.M., Queen, T., Noar, S.M., Ruel, L., Agans, R., Hannan, A., & Goldstein, A.O. (2017). Public knowledge and credibility perceptions of the FDA as a tobacco regulator. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, ntx215, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntx215. PMID29059369

Kowitt, S., Schmidt, A.M., Myers, A.E., Goldstein, A.O. Should the legal age for tobacco be raised? Results from a national sample of adolescents. (2017). Preventing Chronic Disease, 14:170255. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd14.170255. PMCID: PMC5695643

Kowitt, S., Goldstein, A. O., Schmidt, A. M., Hall, M. G., & Brewer, N. T. (2017). Attitudes toward FDA regulation of newly deemed tobacco products. Tobacco Regulatory Science, 3(4): 504-515. PMCID: PMC5810966

Kowitt, S.D, Schmidt, A.M., Hannan, A., Goldstein, A.O. (2017). Awareness of and trust in the FDA, CDC, and federal government: results from a national sample of adults and adolescents in the United States. PLOS ONE, 12(5): e0177546. PMCID: PMC5433718

Schmidt, A. M., Ranney, L. M., Noar, S. M., & Goldstein, A. O. (2017). Development of the FDA Tobacco Credibility Scale (FDA-TCS). Tobacco Regulatory Science, 3(1): 47-55. PMCID: PMC5476309

Kowitt, S.D., Sheeran, P., Jarman, K., Ranney, L.M., Schmidt, A.M., Huang, L., Goldstein, A.O. (2016). Effects of framing proximal benefits of quitting and motivation to quit as a query on communications about tobacco constituents. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntw317. PMCID: PMC5896547

Schmidt, A. M., Ranney, L. M., Pepper, J. K., & Goldstein, A. O. (2016). Source credibility in tobacco control messaging. Tobacco Regulatory Science, 2(1): 31.-37. PMCID: PMC4981485

Schmidt, A. M., Ranney, L. M., & Goldstein, A. O. (2014). Communicating program outcomes to encourage policymaker support for evidence-based state tobacco control. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 11(12):12562-12574. PMCID: PMC4276631

Williams, R. & Schmidt, A. M. (2014). The sales and marketing practices of English-language internet alcohol vendors. Addiction, 109(3):432-439. PMID24219065

PRESENTATIONS

Stelter, R., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Schmidt, A. M. Drugged Driving: Innovative Community Prevention Strategies. Presented at: the North Carolina Traffic Safety Conference; 2019 August 8; Raleigh, NC.

Stelter, R., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Schmidt, A. M. Drugged Driving: Innovative Community Prevention Strategies. Presented at: Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) Mid-Year Training Institute; 2018 July 15-18; Orlando, FL.

Stelter, R., Kupersmidt, J. B., & Schmidt, A. M. Using the Strategic Prevention Framework to Prevent Drugged Driving. Poster session presented at: Society for Prevention Research Annual Meeting; 2018 May 29-Jun 1; Washington, DC.

Schmidt, A. M., Golden, S. D., Gottfredson, N., C., Ribisl, K. M., & Ennett, S. T. (2017). Responsiveness of Young Adults to State Cigarette Excise Taxes by Psychological Health. Poster presented at the 38th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, San Diego, CA.

Schmidt, A. M., Golden, S. D., Gottfredson, N., C., Ennett, S. T., Aiello, A. E., & Ribisl, K. M. (2017) Psychological health and trajectories of smoking in young adulthood. Poster presented at the 2017 National Conference on Tobacco or Health, Austin, TX.

Schmidt, A. M., Kowitt, S., Myers, A., & Goldstein, A. O. (2017). Predictors of attitudes towards tobacco regulation. Presented at the 2017 National Conference on Tobacco or Health, Austin, TX.

Schmidt, A. M., Golden, S. D., Gottfredson, N., C., Ennett, S. T., Aiello, A. E., & Ribisl, K. M. (2016). Psychological health and trajectories of smoking in young adulthood. PSID Annual User Conference, Ann Arbor, MI.

Schmidt, A. M., Ranney, L. M., Noar, S. M. & Goldstein, A. O. (2016). Development of the FDA Tobacco Credibility Scale. Poster presented at 22nd Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Chicago, IL. 

Schmidt, A. M., Jarman, K., Ranney, L. M., Noar, S. M., & Goldstein, A. O. (2016). Knowledge and beliefs about FDA credibility and regulatory authority: Results of a national survey. Poster presented at the NIH Tobacco Regulatory Science Conference, Bethesda, MD.

Schmidt, A. M., Ranney, L. M., & Goldstein, A. O. (2015). Communicating program outcomes to encourage policymaker support for evidence-based state tobacco control. Paper presented at 21st Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Philadelphia, PA.

Schmidt, A. M. (2009). Shaping social responsibility: Structuring choice to market Fair Trade. Senior thesis presented at the Western Psychological Association (WPA) Annual Research Convention, Portland, OR.

SPONSORED PROJECTS

Federal Grants and Contracts

Current

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Plan My Ride: A brief, immersive, skill-building impaired driving prevention program for young adult drivers. R44CE003131-2 (Co-PI: Rebecca Stelter, Co-PI: Allison Schmidt). 9/30/20-9/29/22. The goal of this project is to complete the development of and evaluate the Plan My Ride program, an immersive virtual learning course to promote safe driving among teenagers and young adults.

Completed

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Web-based application to promote workplace health through behavioral design. Contract number. 75D30118P03061. (Co-PI: Alison E. Parker; Co-PI: Allison Schmidt). 9/13/2018 – 9/1/2019. The purpose is to determine the technical feasibility of a web-based application to promote employee health and wellness in small businesses. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing impaired and drugged driving among young drivers through a brief, immersive skill-building intervention. R43CE003171 (PI: Stelter) 10/1/2019-9/30/2020. This project resulted in the development of a prototype of a brief impaired driving prevention program for young drivers. Role: Project Director.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Mechanisms of Media Literacy Education for Promoting Relationship Health in Older Adolescents. R01HD099134 (PI:  Tracy M. Scull; Co-I: Christina Malik; Co-I: Janis Kupersmidt) 4/6/2020-3/31/2025. The purpose of this project is to conduct a three-arm randomized control trial with older adolescents (i.e., ages 18-19) attending community college to isolate the effects of media literacy education on sexual and relationship health outcomes and to examine the trajectory of media literacy education effects on sexual and relationship health over time. Role: Investigator.

Private

Eckerd Connects. Eckerd Success Wheel Phases 4. (PI: Kupersmidt). (2019 – 2010). iRT developed the Eckerd Success Wheel (ESW) Assessment System, an innovative, web-based, assessment system in collaboration with ESW leadership, designed for evaluating change in five areas of success in youth ranging in age from birth to early adulthood. iRT assessed the psychometric properties of measures in the ESW for middle and high school-aged youth. Role: Statistical Analyst.