Transdisciplinary science applied to the evaluation of treatments for tobacco use.

Transdisciplinary research involves the integration of measures and methods across diverse response systems and levels of analysis, with that integration occurring via a synthesis of theories and models of different scientific disciplines. This paper first discusses the need for transdisciplinary research. The paper then articulates a model to guide the comprehensive evaluation of treatments for tobacco use and discusses how transdisciplinary research might be integrated into this treatment evaluation model. The potential benefits and costs of a transdisciplinary approach are discussed, along with selected research projects from the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Centers.