Table 3.

Final Core Domains and Competencies

No.	Final core domains	Competencies
1	Health Consequences of Tobacco Use and Population Health Impact	• Identifying the health consequences of active and passive smoking
		• Epidemiology of health consequences of tobacco and nicotine use and exposure: person, place, and time • Recounting the history of tobacco industry efforts to discredit the scientific evidence base linking tobacco use to death and disease • Communicating the health consequences of tobacco use to diverse groups • Applying findings of scientific analyses addressing the public health impact of regulatory measures • Applying health impact assessment tools to understand potential regulatory effects on population health
2	Tobacco Control Act/ FDA Regulatory Framework	• Describing the roles of the various regulatory agencies in the context of public health • Understanding the basics of FDA regulatory science, including safety and efficacy principles • History of FDA regulation, regulatory science, and the regulatory process • Defining the scope of the FSPTCA, the key elements of the final text, and specifically what is not covered through the federal law • Recalling the core mission and responsibilities of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products • Outlining major regulatory decisions made by the FDA since the FSPTCA came into effect • Describe how scientists can engage in regulatory decision making • Describing how the tobacco industry engages with the FDA and in the regulatory process • Offering effective tobacco specific rules and guidelines relevant to public health standards within the legal context • Identifying the points (from production to product use) at which regulatory interventions can be implemented to impact tobacco use • Summarizing how nontobacco nicotine products are regulated differently than tobacco products • Understanding the process of submitting comments to the FDA docket
3	Tobacco Control Policies and Programs	• Identifying and differentiating tobacco regulatory science from the broader field of tobacco control • Providing examples of successful tobacco control initiatives including legislative, policy, media, community, and partnership building • Justifying the public health response to tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke domestically and abroad • Providing examples of efforts by the tobacco industry to defeat, delay, or co-opt tobacco control policies • Identifying the diverse organizations that have engaged in tobacco control programs beyond traditional tobacco control agencies • Analyzing the economics of tobacco control • Describe the major policies and programs known to impact tobacco use in the United States
4	Tobacco and Nicotine Product Diversity	• Contrasting the factors to consider when regulating diverse products to benefit the public health • Synthesizing how products differ in term of health effects • Describing the process through which a product can make a harm reduction claim • Describing how diverse products are used in isolation and in combination to retain tobacco dependence • Preparing a map of the range of tobacco products on the market and their regulatory status • Differentiating between cognitive and affective factors associated with new and emerging nicotine products versus traditional cigarettes among youth and young adults • Analyzing the history of industry-sponsored research on tobacco products • Describe the youth tobacco and nicotine adoption process and how it varies by diversity of products and subgroups
5	Vulnerable Populations	• Defining the characteristics of a vulnerable population in regards to tobacco use • Summarizing where vulnerable populations are mentioned within the FSPTCA and FDA’s priorities • Understanding the history of youth tobacco prevention, multicomponent interventions, and critiquing related literature
6	Skills—Research, Dissemination, Testimony	• Formulating a research question and research methods that result in evidence applicable to tobacco regulation • Preparing and executing a pilot grant and using date to compete for an NIH grant related to TRS • Identifying research gaps related to the tobacco regulatory environment • Analyzing existing evidence relevant to the tobacco regulatory environment • Appraising how study methods and results in terms of their regulatory aims • Ability to search and analyze tobacco industry documents • Disseminating research finding to diverse regulatory stakeholders • Identifying potential cases of ethical misconduct and conflict of interest that could impact an individual’s ability to engage in the regulatory process • Understanding the role of scientific testimony in regulatory and judicial processes • Generating public comments to the FDA based on research findings • Preparing an accurate conflict of interest disclosure • Articulating the role of organization, practice, and individual in affecting tobacco policy • Conducting policy analysis to identify regulatory weakness and gaps • Developing working relationships across disciplines and learning how to integrate the work of others outside your field into your work • Being able to conduct a risk–benefit analysis