Thomas Novotny

Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Professor Emeritus, Adjunct Professor

View CV (google doc) 

Education

• MD, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 1973
• MPH, Johns Hopkins University, 1992
• DSc (Hon), University of Nebraska Medical Center, 2015

Scholarly Areas

Dr. Novotny’s current research focuses on the environmental impacts of tobacco use, the susceptibility to smoking initiation among young Chinese women, the interaction between tuberculosis and smoking, and health diplomacy.

Biography

Dr. Novotny is Professor Emeritus of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the San Diego State University (SDSU) School of Public Health. He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical Center (MD 1973) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (MPH Epidemiology 1992).  He served as a CDC epidemiologist in the Office on Smoking and Health and as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services.  He co-directed the Joint PhD program in Global Health at SDSU/UCSD from 2009-2015, and he has done extensive research on tobacco and the environment.  In 2010, he founded the Cigarette Butt Pollution Project, a research, educational, and advocacy non-profit organization that addresses tobacco’s impact on the environment. He is co-director of the San Diego State University Center for Tobacco and the Environment, and he maintains active partnerships with global public health advocacy groups and agencies. In 2015, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from his alma mater, the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

International Partnerships

SeriousFun Camps:  PhD and Masters Students may participate in an ongoing partnership with a program funded by actor Paul Newman’s Foundation (SeriousFun Global Partnership Program) to evaluate camps for HIV-positive children in Ethiopia, Vietnam, India, and elsewhere.  Contact Dr. Thomas Novotny for more information.