Dr. Megan Piper

Megan Piper, PhD, is a Professor in the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine and is one of three UW-CTRI Directors of Research.

Piper is a named UW-CTRI Director of Research Professor. This five-year professorship reflects her strong scientific contributions and the collective efforts, achievements, and impact of the entire UW-CTRI team. This professorship provides funds that can be used to support UW-CTRI research, scholarship, and other UW-CTRI activities to advance the UW-CTRI research mission.

Piper is a former president of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and former chair of the NIH’s Interventions to Prevent and Treat Addictions Study Section. In 2022, she was named a fellow of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. In 2019, she was the recipient of the UW Faculty Excellence in Research Award. In 2014, Piper received the Russell-Jarvik Young Investigator Award for her contributions to the field from the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. She is a co-author of more than 180 papers.

Dr. Piper’s research focuses on understanding and treating tobacco dependence among people who smoke and people who use e-cigarettes, with an additional focus on addressing issues of smoking-related health inequity based on race, gender, and mental illness.

A Madison native, Dr. Piper completed her undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Carleton College in Minnesota, her Masters’ degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami in Ohio, and her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Dr. Piper began her work at UW-CTRI in 1999 when she collaborated on the Public Health Service Guideline: Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence that was published in 2000. She then served as the Project Scientist for the 2008 PHS Guideline update.

To schedule interviews with UW-CTRI representatives, contact Communications.