Mark Parascandola

Mark Parascandola, PhD, MPH, has over fifteen years experience as a research leader in epidemiology, cancer prevention, and global health. He has authored numerous published articles on tobacco control policy, global cancer prevention strategies, and epidemiologic research methodology. He was an editor for the NCI/WHO report 'The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Control' (2016), the NCI/CDC report 'Smokeless Tobacco and Public Health: A Global Perspective' (2014), and the two-volume encyclopedia 'Tobacco: Its History and Culture' (2005). He also served as an Embassy Science Fellow and expert advisor on tobacco control and air pollution and health at the U.S. Embassies in Beijing, China, and Warsaw, Poland. He is also a documentary fine-art photographer. His work explores how photography, and the movies, shape our perceptions of history and create ambiguity between reality and make-believe. A PhD epidemiologist by training, he draws on methods of historical and public health research in investigating subjects and locations. Mark was awarded Individual Artist Fellowships from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities 2014 and 2018 and was a Finalist for the Sondheim Prize 2011 and for Critical Mass 2012, 2016 and 2019. Mark`s photobook 'Once Upon a Time in Almería: The Legacy of Hollywood in Spain' was published by Daylight Books in 2017. The work from that project was the subject of a solo exhibition at the Embassy of Spain in Washington DC and has since traveled to Miami and other locations. His latest photobook 'Once Upon a Time in Shanghai' (Daylight, November 2019) documents the rapidly-expanding movie industry in China.