Transdiscipinary Tobacco Use Research Centers (TTURC): Process, Progress and Research Results

An exciting pre–conference meeting will be held that will highlight the latest research findings from the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Centers (TTURC) and discuss the challenges and promises of conducting transdisciplinary tobacco–use research.

Tobacco use is a complex biopsychosocial problem, and combating it requires the combined contributions of many disciplines. Recognizing these complexities and faced with increasing rates of adolescent smoking during the 1990s and stagnating rates of adult smoking, an increasing number of researchers started to call for a transdisciplinary approach to the study of tobacco use. Transdisciplinarity is a process by which researchers work jointly using a shared conceptual framework that draws together multiple discipline–specific theories, methods, and measures. In 1999, seven Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Centers (TTURCs) were established through joint funding of the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Drug Abuse. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation provided additional support to the TTURCs, through their "Partners with Tobacco Use Research Centers Program” to support tobacco–related policy research and communications activities at the funded TTURCs. The overall goal of the TTURC initiative is to stimulate integrated research that will significantly advance our understanding of tobacco use and nicotine addition, and to help translate the results and implications of thiswork for policy makers, practitioners, and the public. The seven universities currently funded through the TTURC Partners program are: Brown University, University of California at Irvine, University of Minnesota, University of Pennsylvania/Georgetown University, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin, and Yale University. For more information, please visit our website at www.tturcpartners.com.

NIH Pre–Meeting Conference
Forty Years of Progress on Smoking and Health: Lessons from the Past, Opportunities for the Future

January 2004 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the landmark 1964 Surgeon General’s report on Smoking and Health. While the public health impact of smoking has been extensively characterized over the years, substantial challenges remain both for scientific research on the health effects of smoking and second–hand smoke exposure, and for translating that knowledge into effective policies and interventions. This full one–day pre–conference symposium will explore lessons learned from the past forty years and project future needs and directions for scientific research and public health activities.

The meeting is co-sponsored by NCI, CDC, and the American Legacy Foundation. The keynote speaker: Steven A. Schroeder, M.D., Distinguished Professor of Health and Health Care, Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, UCSF, where he also heads the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center. Dr. Schroeder is also Director and Chair, Board of Directors, American Legacy Foundation.

For additional information, please contact Rebecca Ryan, Conference Coordinator, MasiMax Resources, at 240–632–8806 or by email at rryan@masimax.com.

Welcome and opening remarks

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Nora Volkow, new Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

Public Health/Epidemiology Theme Lecturer: Judy Wilkenfeld, J.D., Director, International Programs, Campaign for Tobacco–Free Kids
"Making a Difference – How Good Science Makes Good Policy".

Poster Session 1

Lunch provided

Symposium 1: NICOTINE METABOLISM: SOURCES OF VARIATION IN HUMANS AND A COMPARISON OF ANIMAL MODELS.
Symposium 2: NOVEL PERSPECTIVES ON AFFECTIVE PROCESSES AND SMOKING
Symposium 3: ENGAGING SCIENTISTS TO PROMOTE EVIDENCE–BASED POLICY

Exhibit hall open

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

Paper Session 1: Neurotransmitter Systems in Nicotine and Smoking
Paper Session 2: Pharmacological Interventions: Mechanisms and Outcomes
Paper Session 3: Influences on Smoking Progression: Youth, Adolescents, and Young Adults

Young Investigators Paper Session

Ove Ferno Award / SRNT Opening Reception
Sponsored by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare

Workshop
Tobacco Curriculum for Clinicians: Development, Implementation, Evaluation
The purpose of this workshop is to provide information on: 1) Issues involved in the development of materials for students in medicine, dentistry and other health professions and for practitioners in those areas. 2) How to
implement programs? And 3) How should programs be evaluated? What process and outcome measures should be used? What types of evaluations can be used to examine the patients behavioral outcomes? Presentations by experts in the field will be followed by open dialogue with participants.

Workshop
Co–Morbidity in Tobacco Addiction
This workshop is one outcome of discussions amongst representatives of various funding agencies, initiated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in order to address how to advance the understanding and treatment of tobacco addiction as it co–occurs with the abuse of other substances and with mental disease. The workshop will consist of 4 brief overview presentations that will serve as the springboard to participant input and discussion.
Chairs: Victor Capoccia (RWJF) and Bill Corrigall (NIDA)

Workshop
Harm Reduction Issues:Perspectives on the Role of Low-Nitrosamine Smokeless Tobacco in Reducing
Tobacco-Caused Disease."

Chair: Ken Warner
Presenters: Jonathen Foulds, Elbert Glover, Karl Fagerstrom, Dorothy Hatsukami

Following the publication of papers on harm reduction in the latest edition of Tobacco Control (currently free online at http://tc.bmjjournals.com/misc/editorschoice.shtml ) and subsequent on-line discussions, this workshop is a fully participative, structured discussion session. It will open with an exploration of arguments in debate format by a panel of speakers (Jonathan Foulds, Karl Fagerstrom, Elbert Glover and Dorothy Hatsukami) chaired by Ken Warner. The second part will be a moderated wider discussion of the issues raised, ensuring as much audience participation as possible. The workshop is designed for people who are interested in seeing how evidence on this issue is woven together into argument, which includes testing the robustness of the evidence cited, considering any evidence or perspective that's omitted, and identifying any questions that remain. The debate and open discussion format of the workshop makes advance abstracts inappropriate, but the Tobacco Control papers mentioned above would be useful preparatory reading for participants who wish to familiarise themselves with some of the concepts that will be explored.

Paper Session 4: Neurophysiological Processes Related to Nicotine and Tobacco
Paper Session 5: Smoking and Psychiatric Comorbidity
Paper Session 6: Risk Reduction: Issues and Viewpoints

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

Basic Theme Lecturer: Theme Lecture: Dr. David Balfour, Professor of Behavioural Pharmacology in The University of Dundee Medical School, Department of Psychiatry at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee
"If Tobacco Dependence Equals Nicotine Dependence, Why Doesn't NRT Work Better?"

Poster Session 2

Lunch provided

Exhibit hall open

Symposium 4: BIOLOGICAL BASIS FOR THE NICOTINE AND STRESS PARADOX
Symposium 5: SMOKING CESSATION PHARMACOGENETICS
Symposium 6: WEB–ASSISTED TOBACCO INTERVENTIONS (WATI): POTENTIAL, PROMOTION AND PITFALLS

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

Members' Meeting

Award Presentations and Invited Lecture
Recipient of the 2004 Ove Ferno Award for Clinical Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, Dr. Ovide Pomerleau, Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan
"Confessions of a Latter–day Behaviorist ”.

Rapids Poster Session
Light food and cash bar starting at 5:30 p.m.

Diversity Workshop:
"Issues in health disparities research on nicotine and tobacco: Don't shoot before you aim"
The Special Populations Committee is conducting a workshop on research issues for diverse populations. We will establish an information exchange and open dialogue around current and promising practices in nicotine and
tobacco research in special populations. The objective is to provide information from experts in the field and to have an open dialogue with participants about methods, sampling, tobacco dependence, and what is unique
about certain subpopulations that contributes to the incidence, prevalence, and alleviation of tobacco use and tobacco-related problems.

SRNT Training Workshop
SRNT’s Education and Training Committee is sponsoring a workshop for young investigators entitled "Career Development Q&A". This is intended to be an informal workshop that will provide the opportunity for audience members to pose questions to a panel of experienced SRNT researchers to learn how to develop as researchers and advance professionally in a variety of work environments. This is your chance to ask questions on a variety of topics, so come prepared with questions! Examples of questions from the audience include how to set up your own lab; writing grants and publications; preparing for a promotion or tenure as a nicotine and tobacco researcher; collaborations with colleagues; the job search; managing family and career obligations; switching from academics to government or the private sector, etc. The panel will give advice and share their own career development and personal experiences. Panel members will include Tracy Orleans, Tony George, Dorothy Hatsukami, Jean Francois Etter, Eric Donny, and Gary Giovino. Food and drink will be provided. If interested, please sign up for the workshop at registration.

Workshop
The North American Quitline Consortium: Translating Research Findings into Public Health Interventions
The number of states and provinces in North America offering quitline services for smokers has increased exponentially in the last decade. Today, ten Canadian provinces and more than 30 states in the U.S. offer quitlines. The dramatic growth in the number of these services has led to growing awareness of the important role quitlines can plan in assisting smokers and a desire to better understand quitline operations, promotion, and their effectiveness.
To explore these and other issues, leaders representing state and provincial health agencies, quitline vendors, researchers and national organizations in the United States and Canada have established a Consortium to bring together interested professionals and organizations. Because SRNT serves as the professional association for scientific activities related to cessation, the Center for Tobacco Cessation (a special program co–funded by the American Cancer Society and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) are sponsoring this workshop on the North American Quitline Consortium. The goals of the workshop are to increase awareness of NAQC and to strengthen ties between SRNT members and NAQC. The objectives are (1) describe the NAQC; (2) discuss a minimum data set to evaluate quitlines; and (3) engage members in the development of a research infrastructure and agenda. For additional information about the Center, see www.ctcinfo.org. For additional information about the Consortium, see http://www.ctcinfo.org/tools/quitlines.asp.

Paper Session 7: Animal Models and Genetic Factors in Nicotine Dependence
Paper Session 8: Craving, Affect and Cognition
Paper Session 9: Global Research in Tobacco

Refreshment Break
Sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare

Clinical Theme Lecturer: Dr. Stephen Tiffany, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Utah School of Medicine
"The Emergence of Tobacco Dependence: Assessment and Conceptualization of Moving Targets"

Exhibit Hall Open

Poster Session 3

Lunch provided

Symposium 7: PRENATAL SMOKING EXPOSURE AND OFFSPRING NEUROBEHAVIOR ACROSS DEVELOPMENT: INSIGHTS FROM ANIMALS AND HUMANS
Symposium 8: TRANSDICIPLINARY CLASSIFICATION OF SMOKERS: HOW SHALL WE DEFINE "HARDCORE"?
Symposium 9: CAN NICOTINE REPLACEMENT PRODUCTS BE USED FOR HARM REDUCTION?

Presidents’ Symposium:
EVALUATING AND BUILDING AN EVIDENCE BASE FOR THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL: RECENT FINDINGS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL TOBACCO CONTROL POLICY EVALUATION SURVEY

Closing Remarks