Jennifer B Unger, PhD

Jennifer B. Unger, Ph.D. is a Professor of Population and Public Health Sciences at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. Her research focuses on the psychological, social, and cultural influences on health-risk and health-protective behaviors among diverse populations. She and her colleagues have conducted longitudinal studies of acculturation, cultural stress, and substance use among Hispanic adolescents, highlighting the role of discrimination in health-risk behaviors. Her research also has examined cultural influences on tobacco use among American Indian adolescents, Chinese adolescents, and African American adults and neighborhood influences on adolescent cannabis use. She has collaborated on the design and evaluation of fotonovelas and telenovelas about secondhand smoke exposure in multiunit housing; diabetes; asthma; immunization; and kidney transplantation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she served as Associate Director of the USC Coronavirus Pandemic Research Center, which conducted studies of vaccine hesitancy among Los Angeles residents and USC students, staff, and faculty. She is a Project Leader in the USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science (TCORS), where she studies diffusion of messages about emerging tobacco products to vulnerable populations through social media. She has served as Program Leader of the Cancer Control program at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is currently Vice Chair for Faculty Development for the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences and Director of the Ph.D. program in Population and Public Health Sciences / Health Behavior Research.

• Jacobs Institute of Women’s Health: Ortho Pharmaceutical Scholar in Women’s Health, 1997
• University of Southern California: Southern California Studies Center Junior Faculty Award for Research on Southern California, 1998
• Jay Drotman Award, APHA

• Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD — BA — 1991 — Behavioral Biology
• University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA — Ph.D. — 1996 — Preventive Medicine / Health Behavior Research
• University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA — postdoc — 1997 — Gerontology

• Methodological Training for Social and Behavioral Research in Cancer Control
  NIH · T32CA298969 · May 1, 2026 – Apr 30, 2031 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
• Project Firestorm: Assessing Respiratory and Mental Health Impacts of Wildland-Urban Interface Fires and Long-Term Toxic Exposures
  NIH · R21ES038077 · Aug 25, 2025 – Aug 24, 2027 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
• Cultural Stress, Stress Response, and Substance Use among Hispanic Adolescents
  NIH · R01DA052079 · Sep 1, 2021 – Jun 30, 2026 · Role: Co-Principal Investigator
• Evaluating the impact of e-cigarette social media marketing on e-cigarette use among underage youth.
  NIH · R01CA260459 · Jul 19, 2021 – Jun 30, 2025 · Role: Principal Investigator
• Drug Use Among Hispanic Emerging Adults
  NIH · R01DA016310 · Apr 1, 2003 – Jan 31, 2018 · Role: Principal Investigator

• Adolescent health behaviors
• Health equity
• Cultural influences on health
• Acculturation
• Discrimination
• Tobacco control
• Social media
• Effects of COVID-19 pandemic on behavioral health and well-being
• Vaccine hesitancy

• Patient-Provider Communication and Treatment Decision-Making among Latino Men with Prostate Cancer: A Qualitative Study. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2026 Jul 30.. View in PubMed
• FDA authorisation of Zyn nicotine pouches: cross-sectional analysis of public discourse on X. Tob Control. 2026 Jul 24.. View in PubMed
• Influencer-driven lifestyle and wellness framing of intoxicating hemp products may normalize youth cannabis use. Int J Drug Policy. 2026 Jul 16; 155:105425.. View in PubMed
• Associations between food insecurity and mental health outcomes among Hispanic/Latino adolescents in Los Angeles and Miami. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2026 Jul 14.. View in PubMed
• Access to Care and Patient Safety Measures: Placement in Healthcare Quality Frameworks, Degree to Which They Meet Criteria Used to Select and/or Prioritize Quality Measures, and Mapping to the National Quality Strategy Levers. Am J Med Qual. 2026 Jul 08.. View in PubMed
• Profiles of stress and their associations with substance use among adults of color. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2026 Aug 01; 285:113219.. View in PubMed
• ‘Vape to earn’: gamification, blockchain incentives and behavioural monitoring in vapes. Tob Control. 2026 May 08.. View in PubMed
• Adolescent Depressive Symptoms Predict Increased Binge Drinking in Emerging Adulthood: Moderation by Sexuality and Socioeconomic Status. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2026 May 07.. View in PubMed
• Impact of Instagram and TikTok influencer marketing on perceptions of e-cigarettes and perceptions of influencers in young adults: a randomised survey-based experiment. Tob Control. 2026 May 07; 35(3):358-365.. View in PubMed
• Social Media Discussions of Emerging Nicotine Analogue Products: A Content Analysis of Reddit and X. Subst Use Misuse. 2026 May 04; 1.. View in PubMed
• Pathways from cultural and economic stressors to mental and behavioral health risks in Hispanic youth: The roles of perceived stress and multicultural hassles. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2026 May 04.. View in PubMed
• Factors Associated with Exposure to Nicotine Pouch Content on Social Media among U.S. Adolescents. Nicotine Tob Res. 2026 Apr 27.. View in PubMed
• Recommended self-report measures for use of menthol, mint and cooling-flavoured nicotine and tobacco products. Tob Control. 2026 Apr 13; 35(2):260-263.. View in PubMed
• Blip World: nicotine replacement therapy for Gen Z? Tob Control. 2026 Apr 13; 35(2):277-279. Whaley RC, Unger JB , Harlow AF , Barrington-Trimis J , Galimov A . View in PubMed
• Generative AI in a new era of computer model-informed tobacco research: a short report. Tob Control. 2026 Apr 13; 35(2):267-270.. View in PubMed
• Expanding synthetic nicotine commercial market: Aroma King’s ‘NoNic’ pouches and e-cigarettes. Tob Control. 2026 Apr 13; 35(2):271-272.. View in PubMed
• E-cigarette and Cannabis in Social Media Influencer Marketing and Its Effect on Adolescents: A Survey-Based Experiment. Nicotine Tob Res. 2026 Mar 24; 28(4):658-667.. View in PubMed
• Wildfire smoke-related PM2.5 concentration measurements, perceived indoor air quality, and health symptoms among Southern California residents during the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires: A latent class mediation approach. Environ Int. 2026 Apr; 210:110207.. View in PubMed
• Exposure to e-Cigarette Posts Across Social Media Platforms and Its Associations With Susceptibility and e-Cigarette Use: Comparative Cross-Sectional Study of High Schoolers in Jalisco (Mexico) and Southern California (United States). JMIR Pediatr Parent. 2026 Mar 13; 9:e85376.. View in PubMed
• The Role of Identity in Positive Alcohol Use Attitudes, Risky Drinking, and Alcohol-Related Problems Among Racially/Ethnically Diverse Adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2026 May; 78(5):764-773.. View in PubMed
• Healthy Vaping? Fitness-Oriented Imagery in Influencer E-Cigarette Marketing and Adolescent Perceptions of Influencers and E-Cigarettes. Am J Health Promot. 2026 Feb 17; 8901171261426771.. View in PubMed
• Can adolescent hope buffer against the adverse effects of youth and parent cultural stress on Latinx youths’ adjustment outcomes? Dev Psychol. 2026 Feb 09. Lorenzo-Blanco EI, Zhang M, Henriquez KL, Ki . View in PubMed
• Triple tank control: disposable vape devices with adjustable nicotine and flavour levels. Tob Control. 2025 Dec 30.. View in PubMed
• Youth Perceptions of E-Cigarette Influencer Marketing on Social Media. Subst Use Misuse. 2026; 61(9):1451-1461.. View in PubMed
• Do local geographic characteristics moderate the association between familial incarceration and adolescent depression and anxiety? BMC Psychol. 2025 Dec 22; 13(1):1368. Forster M, Rogers CJ, Zhang X, . View in PubMed
• Associations between COVID-19-related stress and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms among adolescents in Southern California. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2026 Apr 01; 38(2):93-101.. View in PubMed
• Effects of exposure to snus marketing with versus without modified risk tobacco product claims on snus use intention and perceived harm among young adults. Tob Control. 2025 Dec 10; 34(6):733-738.. View in PubMed
• Polysubstance Use Trajectories and Social-Ecological Predictors in a Multi-Ethnic Sample of Adolescents. Subst Use Misuse. 2026; 61(3):451-461.. View in PubMed
• Facilitators and Barriers to the Timely Diagnosis and Treatment of Melanoma in Latino Persons. JAMA Dermatol. 2025 Dec 01; 161(12):1224-1228.. View in PubMed
• Depression, Anxiety, and PTSD Among Southern California Residents After the January 2025 Los Angeles Wildfires. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2025 Nov 26; 19:e327.. View in PubMed
• Demographic Trends in E-Cigarette Social Media Marketing: Perceiving Gender Presentation and Facial Age Via Computer Vision. Nicotine Tob Res. 2025 Oct 22; 27(11):2063-2071.. View in PubMed
• Cultural stress, parent-adolescent communication, and depressive symptoms: Longitudinal dyadic study among recently immigrated Hispanic families. J Fam Psychol. 2026 Mar; 40(2):252-263.. View in PubMed
• Prospective associations of COVID-related stress with vaping nicotine and cannabis among high school students: Mediated by vaping susceptibility. PLoS One. 2025; 20(10):e0334159.. View in PubMed
• US adolescents’ response to nicotine warning labels in influencer e-cigarette marketing social media posts: a survey-based randomised between-subject experiment. Tob Control. 2025 10 03; 34(5):609-617.. View in PubMed
• ‘Fuel your peak performance’: marketing of nicotine pouches to athletes. Tob Control. 2025 Sep 17.. View in PubMed
• Social determinants of alcohol and tobacco use among Hispanic adolescents: a scoping review. Front Psychiatry. 2025; 16:1568462.. View in PubMed
• The association between baseline physical and mental health and the risk of postacute sequelae of COVID-19 infection. Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 08; 15(1):24374.. View in PubMed
• Self-identification of Pelvic Floor Disorder Symptoms Among Latina Women: The Roles of Knowledge, Attitude, Behaviors, Beliefs, and Psychosocial Factors. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2026 06; 13(3):2333-2344.. View in PubMed
• Associations between COVID-19 infection, symptom severity, perceived susceptibility, and long-term adherence to protective behaviors: The Los Angeles pandemic surveillance cohort study. PLoS One. 2025; 20(6):e0326097.. View in PubMed
• E-Cigarette and Cannabis Social Media Posts and Adolescent Substance Use. JAMA Netw Open. 2025 06 02; 8(6):e2517611.. View in PubMed
• Effects of flavour and modified risk claims on nicotine pouch perceptions and use intentions among young adults who use inhalable nicotine and tobacco products: a randomised controlled trial. Tob Control. 2025 05 15; 34(3):315-322.. View in PubMed
• A systematic review investigating the impact of dual use of e-cigarettes and conventional cigarettes on smoking cessation. ERJ Open Res. 2025 May; 11(3).. View in PubMed
• Experiences of social support and the role of engagement in a digital educational support group for adolescent mothers’ health in the Dominican Republic. PLOS Digit Health. 2025 Apr; 4(4):e0000808.. View in PubMed
• Monitoring website marketing among leading e-cigarette brands and vendors in California: content analysis. Tob Control. 2025 Apr 01; 34(2):192-197.. View in PubMed
• Validating the satisfaction with life scale among early adolescents: psychometric assessment using item response theory. Curr Psychol. 2025; 44(7):5821-5829.. View in PubMed
• Trends in depression and anxiety prevalence by cancer status among US adults: analyses of the 2019-2022 National Health Interview Survey. BMJ Open. 2025 Feb 13; 15(2):e090157.. View in PubMed
• Peer E-Cigarette and Cannabis Use and Adolescent Anxiety: Findings from a Mixed-Methods Study. Subst Use Misuse. 2025; 60(5):648-658.. View in PubMed
• Worldwide connections of influencers who promote e-cigarettes on Instagram and TikTok: a social network analysis. Comput Human Behav. 2025 Apr; 165.. View in PubMed
• Change in depression and anxiety symptoms among university students, staff, and faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic: Trojan pandemic response initiative. J Am Coll Health. 2025 Apr; 73(4):1787-1797.. View in PubMed
• Reviving Old Tricks in New Tobacco Marketing: Presence of e-Cigarette Brand Names on Merchandise Promoted by Influencers on Social Media. Subst Use Misuse. 2025; 60(3):319-323.. View in PubMed
• Discussion of Heated Tobacco Products on Twitter Following IQOS’s Modified-Risk Tobacco Product Authorization and US Import Ban: Content Analysis. J Med Internet Res. 2024 10 24; 26:e53938.. View in PubMed
• Substance use among Latinx youth: The roles of sociocultural influences, family factors, and childhood adversity. J Res Adolesc. 2024 Dec; 34(4):1562-1572.. View in PubMed
• Associations Between Acculturation, Discrimination, and Adolescent Relationship Abuse: A Matched Parent-Adolescent Study of Latine Families. J Interpers Violence. 2025 Jun; 40(11-12):2809-2833.. View in PubMed
• Contextualizing experiences of cultural stress: A qualitative exploration among Hispanic/Latinx youth in Miami and Los Angeles. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2024 Oct; 30(4):613-623.. View in PubMed
• Vaping Devices with Video Games. Subst Use Misuse. 2024; 59(14):2149-2150.. View in PubMed
• Disentangling the directionality among cultural stressors and psychosocial outcomes in recently immigrated Hispanic families: A random intercept cross-lagged panel model approach. J Res Adolesc. 2024 Dec; 34(4):1517-1528.. View in PubMed
• Content Analysis of E-mail Marketing Communications Among Online E-cigarette Retailers. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 Aug 22; 26(9):1248-1252.. View in PubMed
• Recall of Flavor at First E-cigarette Use and Its Association with E-cigarette Progression: The Mediating Effects of First Sensory Experience. J Pediatr. 2024 12; 275:114246.. View in PubMed
• Fentanyl harm reduction strategies among Latinx communities in the United States: a scoping review. Harm Reduct J. 2024 08 16; 21(1):150.. View in PubMed
• The 123s and affective, behavioral, and cognitives of unaccompanied Latinx Minors: A trauma-informed composite case study. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2024 Oct; 30(4):907-916.. View in PubMed
• The underrepresentation of racial/ethnic minorities in research on co-use of nicotine, alcohol, and/or cannabis via ecological momentary assessment methods: A narrative review. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2024 Sep 01; 262:111391.. View in PubMed
• Identifying the intersection of parental HPV and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy to inform health messaging interventions in community-based settings. Vaccine. 2024 11 14; 42(25):126129.. View in PubMed
• The differential impacts of COVID-19 mortality on mental health by residential geographic regions: The Los Angeles Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Study. PLoS One. 2024; 19(7):e0304779.. View in PubMed
• Health Care Workers’ Reflections, Experiences, and Sequela throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Occup Environ Med. 2024 Sep 01; 66(9):e430-e434.. View in PubMed
• Young adults’ visual attention to features of social media marketing for disposable e-cigarettes and associated perceptions. Addiction. 2025 Mar; 120(3):439-451.. View in PubMed
• Evaluating trends in recruitment challenges in vape shop research, e-cigarette product characteristics and use among shop customers from 2019 to 2023: A mixed-methods study. Tob Induc Dis. 2024; 22.. View in PubMed
• Spanish-Language Tobacco-Related Posts on Twitter: Content Analysis. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 05 22; 26(6):759-763.. View in PubMed
• Scalable Surveillance of E-Cigarette Products on Instagram and TikTok Using Computer Vision. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 04 22; 26(5):552-560.. View in PubMed
• Themes in e-liquid concept names as a marketing tactic: evidence from Premarket Tobacco Product Applications in the USA. Tob Control. 2024 04 19; 33(3):412-413.. View in PubMed
• Disposable E-Cigarette Use and Subsequent Use Patterns in Adolescents and Young Adults. Pediatrics. 2024 Apr 01; 153(4).. View in PubMed
• Examining Tobacco-Related Social Media Research in Government Policy Documents: Systematic Review. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 03 22; 26(4):421-426.. View in PubMed
• Oral Nicotine Gum Discussions on Twitter: Content Analysis. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 03 22; 26(4):503-507.. View in PubMed
• Examining the Peer-Reviewed Literature on Tobacco-Related Social Media Data: Scoping Review. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 03 22; 26(4):413-420.. View in PubMed
• Adult harm perceptions, purchase, and use related to synthetic vs. tobacco-derived nicotine vaping products: A mixed-methods study. Prev Med Rep. 2024 May; 41:102692.. View in PubMed
• Gene-environment transactions between peer cigarette use, parental supervision, and Chinese adolescent cigarette smoking initiation. J Adolesc. 2024 07; 96(5):1034-1047.. View in PubMed
• Assessing the public discourse on Twitter: Reactions to the JUUL e-cigarettes ban in the United States. Tob Induc Dis. 2024; 22.. View in PubMed
• Young Adults’ Exposure to and Engagement With Tobacco-Related Social Media Content and Subsequent Tobacco Use. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 Feb 15; 26(Supplement_1):S3-S12.. View in PubMed
• Demographic Characteristics Associated With Intentions to Receive the 2023-2024 COVID-19 Vaccine. Am J Prev Med. 2024 06; 66(6):957-962.. View in PubMed
• Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) Access, Use, and Eligibility Among Adults with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County: The LA Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Study. J Gen Intern Med. 2024 05; 39(6):1081-1083.. View in PubMed
• Sexual and Gender Identity Disparities in Nicotine and Tobacco Use Susceptibility and Prevalence: Disaggregating Emerging Identities Among Adolescents From California, USA. Nicotine Tob Res. 2024 01 22; 26(2):203-211.. View in PubMed
• A Community-based Intervention to Improve Health Outcomes for Vietnamese Americans. J Health Care Poor Underserved. 2024; 35(3S):3-15.. View in PubMed
• Adverse Childhood Experiences, Discrimination, and Substance Use Among Latino/a/Hispanic Youth. Appl Dev Sci. 2025; 29(2):127-140.. View in PubMed
• Proximity to Cannabis Retailers and Recent Cannabis Use among a Diverse Sample of California Adolescents. Subst Use Misuse. 2024; 59(5):643-650.. View in PubMed
• Noticing people, discounts and non-tobacco flavours in e-cigarette ads may increase e-cigarette product appeal among non-tobacco-using young adults. Tob Control. 2023 12 13; 33(1):30-37.. View in PubMed
• Surveying Adolescents During a Pandemic: Comparison of Adolescents Recruited via Social Media vs. Schools. Prev Sci. 2026 01; 27(1):41-46.. View in PubMed
• Association between levels of receptor binding domain antibodies of SARS-CoV-2, receipt of booster and risk of breakthrough infections: LA pandemic surveillance cohort study. Sci Rep. 2023 11 25; 13(1):20761.. View in PubMed
• Characteristics associated with attitudes and behaviors towards mask wearing during the COVID-19 pandemic: The Trojan Pandemic Response Initiative. BMC Public Health. 2023 10 11; 23(1):1968.. View in PubMed
• The Differential Experience of COVID-19 on Asian American Subgroups: The Los Angeles Pandemic Surveillance Cohort Study. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2024 Oct; 11(5):2806-2815.. View in PubMed
• Effects of a nicotine warning label and vaping cessation resources on young adults’ perceptions of pro-vaping instagram influencer posts. Addict Behav. 2024 02; 149:107888.. View in PubMed
• A statewide study of disparities in local policies and tobacco, vape, and cannabis retail environments. Prev Med Rep. 2023 Oct; 35:102373.. View in PubMed
• Multilevel perspectives on school-based opportunities to improve HPV vaccination among medically underserved adolescents: Beyond school entry mandates. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2023 08 01; 19(2):2251815.. View in PubMed
• Should Tobacco-Related Marketing on Social Media Have Stronger Restrictions? Commentary. Subst Use Misuse. 2023; 58(12):1615-1619.. View in PubMed
• Application of Protection Motivation Theory to COVID-19 vaccination among a predominantly Hispanic sample of adolescents. Prev Med Rep. 2023 Aug; 34:102245.. View in PubMed
• Cultural Stress Profiles: Describing Different Typologies of Migration Related and Cultural Stressors among Hispanic or Latino Youth. J Youth Adolesc. 2023 Aug; 52(8):1632-1646.. View in PubMed
• Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people with and without pre-existing mental health problems. Sci Rep. 2023 04 14; 13(1):6111.. View in PubMed
• Pandemic-related life changes and adolescent initiation of cannabis and tobacco/nicotine use. Addict Behav. 2023 09; 144:107724.. View in PubMed
• Adolescent use and co-use of tobacco and cannabis in California: The roles of local policy and density of tobacco, vape, and cannabis retailers around schools. Prev Med Rep. 2023 Jun; 33:102198.. View in PubMed
• An Analysis of Twitter Posts About the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Menthol Ban. Nicotine Tob Res. 2023 04 06; 25(5):962-966.. View in PubMed
• Trust in science and scientists among university students, staff, and faculty of a large, diverse university in Los Angeles during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trojan Pandemic Response Initiative. BMC Public Health. 2023 03 30; 23(1):601.. View in PubMed
• Evaluation of a COVID-19 rapid antigen testing program among student athletes in a public high school district. Eval Program Plann. 2023 06; 98:102280.. View in PubMed

• Leventhal, Adam
• Barrington-Trimis, Jessica
• Sussman, Steven
• Harlow, Alyssa
• Vassey, Julia
• Pedersen, Eric