Vaughan Rees

Dr. Vaughan Rees is Chief Research Officer at Truth Initiative, where he leads the Schroeder Institute, the organization's research and scientific enterprise. A public health scientist and research leader with more than 25 years of experience, Dr. Rees oversees a multidisciplinary research portfolio focused on tobacco and nicotine, addiction science, behavioral health, cannabis, polysubstance use, and other emerging public health challenges, particularly among youth and young adults.

Prior to joining Truth Initiative, Dr. Rees served as director of the Center for Global Tobacco Control at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and as a senior lecturer on Social and Behavioral Sciences. His research has spanned tobacco control, addiction and behavioral science, prevention, implementation science, regulatory science, and public health policy. Throughout his career, he has led interdisciplinary research programs and built national and international collaborations dedicated to advancing evidence-based approaches to preventing and addressing addiction.

Dr. Rees has advised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. His research has examined tobacco and nicotine use, cannabis and nicotine co-use, cannabis retailer availability, and broader drug-attributable harms, helping inform public health policy, regulation, and interventions.

Dr. Rees earned a Ph.D. in Health Psychology from the University of New South Wales and a B.Sc. in Psychology and Pharmacology from Monash University, both in Australia. He completed postdoctoral training as a National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse Fellow at Boston University School of Medicine.