Grilo has played a key role in IGTC’s capacity building efforts since 2019.
From Baltimore and Washington, D.C. to Guangzhou, China and Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, the Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) has trained thousands of participants through its long-running capacity building programs, promoting collaborative networks and instilling the skills and tools needed to reduce tobacco-caused death and disease.
With the recent retirement of associate scientist Steve Tamplin, who helped shape and lead these programs from their early days, IGTC’s Graziele Grilo is stepping into a new role as Leadership/Ascend Program Director, overseeing the Institute’s growing suite of leadership programs.
Originally from Brazil, Grilo studied political science at the State University of Campinas and earned her MSc in women’s and gender studies at Towson University. She joined the Bloomberg School in 2018 as part of IGTC’s staff, where her research and practice work has focused on tobacco advertising and packaging, health equity, and tobacco control policy in low- and middle-income countries.
Grilo has published dozens of peer-reviewed research papers, participated in multiple interviews and editorials, and serves as IGTC’s liaison for Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use partner organizations and grantees across Latin America and the Caribbean. She has also played a key role in IGTC’s capacity building efforts—teaching a course in the Global Tobacco Control Certificate Program, managing the advanced-level Scholars’ Program, and steering the design of Ascend: Leadership Development for the Future of Tobacco Control.
With an upcoming Vietnam leadership program in the works and the Ascend 2026 call for applications open September 15–October 15, 2025, Grilo took a moment to discuss her professional journey, her new role, and ways that participants are turning leadership training into impact.
There is something about spending a week immersed in discussions around tobacco control and leadership that can be truly transformative.
— Graziele Grilo, MSc, leadership/Ascend program director and regional lead for Latin America at the Institute for Global Tobacco Control
Q&A
What is it about the Institute’s capacity building programs that have allowed them to thrive and withstand the test of time?
There is something about spending a week immersed in discussions around tobacco control and leadership that can be truly transformative. I will never forget my first experience with IGTC’s capacity building programs: I had been working for only one year at IGTC (and in tobacco control) when I was invited to serve as program coordinator for the 2019 Latin American and Caribbean Leadership Program. There I met two participants who were also representatives in Bolivia’s Plurinational Legislative Assembly [congress]. They listened to successful stories from other countries, networked with fellow participants including Bolivia’s PAHO representative, and fully engaged themselves in the week’s training agenda… The momentum was there. Then, a few months after the program, they were driving forces behind a proposed national tobacco control law. Eventually, the law was enacted—establishing 100% smoke-free public spaces and workplaces in Bolivia. Incredible, right?!
I have had the chance to collaborate on many more leadership programs since 2019. But this initial experience expanded my horizons regarding tobacco control and policy implementation—and introduced me to many new colleagues, building a supportive network that positioned me for success as I began serving as the regional lead for IGTC’s work in Latin America.
Your career path in tobacco control has often involved interfacing within larger networks. How have these experiences informed your own leadership approach?
IGTC’s leadership program includes two messages that continue to resonate with me: The first is, “Never stop learning because life never stops teaching,” and the second is, “Be the best for the world,” (rather than best in the world).
Leadership is a journey, and experiences throughout my work and career have and continue to shape my understanding of the world and how I can be my best—including being truthful to myself and leveraging the skills I bring. Moreover, I am fortunate that these experiences have allowed me to engage with so many different partners and colleagues who are leaders in their own communities, countries, and tobacco control areas—and there is always something unique to learn from these interactions.
Given these experiences, what can we expect to see remain the same with IGTC’s leadership programs, and what are some possible new elements that you hope to introduce?
My predecessor, Steve Tamplin, along with Annette M. David and Benjamin Lozare, developed a strong, vital program that has allowed IGTC to adapt to the specificities and local priorities of individual countries and regions, or even of things out of our control, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
One thing I’ve observed both as an instructor and by attending conferences and workshops is the need to deliver content using multiple formats. This makes the experience more interactive and maximizes participation. People learn in different ways—and these programs often involve long, full days requiring active listening and participation. Incorporating new and alternative methods of content delivery will allow us to personalize the programs further, adapting them to best meet cultural norms and participants’ needs and preferences, while also supporting increased opportunities for networking. I’ve seen efforts like this occurring even in meetings I’ve recently attended, and we have great partners who are helping me explore the possibilities.
You have played a pivotal role in introducing a new capacity building program, Ascend: Leadership Development for the Future of Tobacco Control, launched in 2024. What has been the best part about bringing this program to life? What has been the most challenging?
Working with young people—truly the future of tobacco control—has been the best as well as the most challenging part of Ascend! [laughs] Our participants bring so much energy, they have pushed me to think outside the box to create something meaningful for them, and to understand better how social media is and can be used by mission-driven young leaders. I am still learning how to adapt to the increased presence of smartphones during the program, including frequent video recording to document their participation.
Ascend is a tremendous program, and I feel blessed to have the full support of our IGTC colleagues and global partners, enabling us to identify incredible participants and continue to make the program more relevant. In that sense, I will always also feel grateful to the first Ascend cohort, who provided invaluable feedback, demonstrated their maturity, and contributed to a great experience. We incorporated many of those initial learnings into planning for the second cohort [2025] and can already see how the program has improved. I look forward to what 2026 will bring.
The Institute’s capacity building programs emphasize envisioning possibilities that go “beyond imagination.” In this spirit, what can you share about your vision for future leadership programs?
The first time I attended a Bloomberg Initiative partners meeting, when people learned who I was and that I worked for IGTC and the Bloomberg School, they would get really excited to tell me if they had attended one of our leadership programs. It is abundantly clear that participant involvement in IGTC capacity building instills a sense of pride.
Over the years, I have heard countless examples of new networks or friendships that were created through these programs and that always impresses me. The importance of networking and community building that has been manifested through IGTC’s leadership programs is a crucial component, and I aspire to nurture it by increasing interaction and learning opportunities across countries/regions. This will help ensure the sustainability of the global tobacco control community and the principles guiding this important work.
Just a few weeks ago, I learned about a tobacco dependence knowledge-building workshop that was jointly developed by two Ascend participants who live in two different countries and supported by their Ascend mentor—such a wonderful example of applied learning, resource sharing, and collaboration formed through networking. I hope the Ascend model and the opportunities it provides can eventually be replicated in other contexts.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. IGTC capacity building programs are supported with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use (bloomberg.org).
