Toben Nelson, ScD

I study prevention of alcohol attributable harm, injury and violence prevention, motor vehicle safety, physical activity promotion, obesity prevention, the influence of sports participation on health and social determinants of health. 

• Member, Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health

I am involved in the following studies: 

• Alcohol Epidemiology Program
• Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study
• Project ScOPE - School Obesity-related Policy Evaluation
• Minnesota Child Welfare Research Collaborative
• Healthy Youth Sports Study

• 2018-2023, "The Effects of Changes in Local Alcohol Policies and Enforcement on Alcohol Use and Impaired Driving," Principal Investigator
• 2017-2019, "Assessing How Local-Level Law Enforcement Strategies, Both Specific and in the Aggregate, Influence Binge Drinking and Alcohol-Impaired Driving in Communities Across the U.S.," Co-Investigator
• 2016-2020, "Interdisciplinary Research Leaders - National Program Leadership Center," Co-Investigator
• 2016–2018, University of Minnesota Grand Challenge Research Grant, "Toward a Minnesota Model for Brain Health in Youth Sports," Principal Investigator
• 2017-2021, "The influence of health and neighborhood context on economic mobility: Evidence from a social experiment," Co-Investigator
• 2016–2017, Blue Zones, "Community Prevention of Alcohol-related Harms: A Blue Zones Demonstration," Principal Investigator
• 2015–2017, NIH, "Development of an Alcohol Risk Management Program for College Fraternities," Principal Investigator
• 2016–2018, NIH, "Mediators and Moderators of a Neighborhood Experiment on Alcohol Abuse," Co-Investigator

See a full list of publications on PubMed

Select Publications

• Nanney MS, MacLehose RF, Kubik MY, Davey CS, O'Connell MJ, Grannon KY, Nelson TF. "School Obesity Prevention Policies and Practices in Minnesota and Student Outcomes: A Longitudinal Cohort Study," American Journal of Preventative Medicine, Nov 2016
• Lenk KM, Nelson TF, Toomey TL, Jones-Webb R, Erickson DJ. "Sobriety checkpoint and open container laws in the United States: Associations with reported drinking-driving," Traffic Injury Prevention, Nov 2016
• Pelletier JE, Laska MN, MacLehose R, Nelson TF, Nanney MS. "State-Level Trends and Correlates for Cross-Sector Collaboration on School Nutrition and Physical Education Activities, 2000-2012," Preventing Chronic Disease, July 2016
• Rutledge PC, Bestrashniy JR, Nelson TF. "Problematic Drinking Among Postgraduate Students: Binge Drinking, Prepartying, and Mixing Alcohol With Energy Drinks," Substance Use & Misuse, April 2016