Taru Kinnunen, MA, PhD.
Assistant Professor
Department of Oral Health Policy and Epidemiology
Tobacco Dependence Treatment & Research
Office: REB 307
188 Longwood Ave.
Boston, MA 02115
Telephone: (617) 432-3584 
FAX (617) 432-3586
Email: taru_kinnunen@hms.harvard.edu 

Dr. Taru Kinnunen received her PhD. in Experimental and Health psychology from the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University, Boston in 1992. She is currently a full time, tenure-track faculty member of the Dept. of Oral Health Policy & Epidemiology and Director for the Tobacco Dependence Treatment and Research Program at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Her work focuses on integrating pharmacological and behavioral interventions to develop effective treatments for nicotine dependence. She is interested in examining direct and interactive roles of gender and depression in tobacco dependence, and development of individualized treatment strategies for addicted smokers. In addition, she and her research team focus on studying various tobacco exposure measures and their relations to actual nicotine intake, biomarkers, and risk factors of diseases.
Dr. Kinnunen has held several advisory positions in national and international organizations and has published numerous articles and book chapters in the field of behavioral medicine. Dr. Kinnunen has a strong commitment for teaching health care providers worldwide about tobacco use, dependence and treatment, both as an integral part of curriculum and as part of continued education. At Harvard she teaches research principals and treatment outcomes and directs a course “Gender Disparities in Oral Health and Disease”.