MAY/JUNE 2006
Volume 12 - No. 2

SRNT Newsletter

May/June 2006, Volume 12, Number 2

In the Spotlight

Noteworthy Achievements and Honors

Joseph Bauer has recently taken on a new opportunity/challenge. Dr. Bauer was the founding Director of the Survey Research & Data Acquisition Resource (SR&DAR) at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. He recently assumed the position of Program Director of Survey Research in the Statistics & Evaluation Center (SEC) at the American Cancer Society's National Home Office in Atlanta, Georgia.

Nancy Rigotti recently received the American College of Physicians' James Bruce Memorial Award for Distinguished Contributions in Preventive Medicine to recognize her research and teaching efforts in smoking cessation.

Belinda Borrelli gave the Invited Key Note Address at the 3rd Annual Utah Stroke Symposium (March, 2006, Salt Lake City, Utah). Her presentation was entitled Motivating Health Behavior Change in Stroke Patients.

SRNT President Ellen Gritz was honored with the 2006 Business and Professional Women's Award. This annual award was presented to Dr. Gritz by the Business Professional Women of Texas, a long-time supporter of M. D. Anderson. The honor recognizes women for their significant achievements in cancer treatment and research, fosters professional development in women in oncology and encourages further advancements in the field of cancer.

News & Upcoming Events

The NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) invites you to the OBSSR 10th Anniversary: Celebrating a Decade of Progress and Promise. Scheduled for June 21-22, 2006 at the Natcher Conference Center, the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland), this event is intended to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the OBSSR at the NIH, illustrate accomplishments, and look toward the future. OBSSR hopes that you and your colleagues will be able to participate in this celebration. They are planning an exciting program to showcase their disciplines' contributions to health promotion and disease prevention in the context of three cross-cutting themes: 1) cells to societal levels of inquiry; 2) fundamental to clinical to population sciences; 3) life-span/developmental phases. OSSR will have presentations from two Nobel laureates and welcoming remarks from Dr. Elias Zerhouni. Investigators supported by a range of I/Cs will be presenting examples of cutting-edge, fundamental, translational, interdisciplinary, dissemination, and policy research. The program will highlight trans-NIH initiatives in which OBSSR has played a leadership or collaborative role and will unveil and seek feedback on a draft OBSSR five-year strategic plan, using a "town hall meeting" format. Information about the celebration, as well as applications for travel fellowships, is posted at http://obssr.od.nih.gov/OBSSR10th/index.htm .

The Tax Burden on Tobacco — a report which Orzechowski & Walker write for the tobacco companies — will no longer be available in paper copies. You can obtain a pdf if you follow these instructions:

1) Send an e-mail to "rob@orz-walker.com"
2) Type "TAX BURDEN" in the subject line
3) provide your name, organization, address, and telephone number.

The new "Exploratory Grants for Behavioral Research in Cancer Control (R21)" announcement PA-06-351 is available at: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-06-351.html . Only electronic submissions will be accepted. The tobacco control research section reads as follows: 4. Prevention and Control of Tobacco Use and Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) Exposure among Children, Youth, and Adults: In recent years, significant strides have been made in reducing tobacco use and ETS exposure in the United States; however, we must accelerate progress by all Americans to reach the goals set by Healthy People 2010. In addition, progress has been uneven and some population groups remain at continued high risk, such as: people living in poverty and/or with low educational attainment; members of some racial/ethnic groups; blue-collar and service workers; individuals with co-existing mental health or drug dependencies; youth with multiple risk or problem behaviors; incarcerated individuals; and others. There remains a continuing need for research aimed at developing innovative prevention and control strategies with broad public health application. Research is also needed to identify and test innovative programs and policies to reduce tobacco use and ETS exposure, especially among high risk populations. There is a need to better understand the factors — genetic, behavioral, psychosocial, cultural, and environmental — that impact upon tobacco use and ETS exposure among both youth and adults. Research is also needed to identify and test innovative behavioral and pharmacological treatments (alone or in combination) to improve upon current levels of treatment efficacy. As nations around the world confront the epidemic of tobacco use, research to understand the efficacy and effectiveness of prevention and control strategies used internationally will help inform work in the U.S.

The NIH Office of Medical Applications of Research (OMAR) and NCI are sponsoring a free 3-day (June 12-14, 2006) State-of-the-Science conference on the topic of Tobacco Use: Prevention, Cessation, and Control (http://www.consensus.nih.gov http://www.consensus.nih.gov ). The conference will be held in the Natcher Conference Center on the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD Some information about the conference is provided below. For more information on this free conference, or to register, please visit http://www.consensus.nih.gov . The registration deadline is June 9, 2006. If you are unable to attend in person, you can watch the proceedings live via the Internet at http://www.videocast.nih.gov or go to the conference Web site to preorder a final statement.

Why

Tobacco use remains the Nation's leading preventable cause of premature death. More than 440,000 Americans die each year from diseases caused by tobacco use, including heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In addition to the costly toll in human lives, tobacco use also places an enormous economic burden on society. From 1995 to 1999, estimated annual economic costs attributable to smoking in the United States were $75.5 billion for direct medical care for adults and $81.9 billion for lost productivity.

Hear How Experts Are Working To Reduce Smoking Prevalence

NCI and OMAR have planned this upcoming conference to stimulate a critical review of the available evidence and to identify directions for future research. Hear presentations from recognized experts in the field on how effective prevention and treatment strategies can be developed and implemented across diverse segments of the population.

Participate in Assessing the Most Current Evidence

This conference is intended for researchers interested in tobacco prevention, cessation, and control; healthcare professionals; healthcare system professionals; health policy experts; public health practitioners; and interested members of the public. Attendees will have ample time to ask questions and provide statements during open discussion periods. After weighing the scientific evidence, an unbiased, independent panel will prepare and present a state-of-the-science statement addressing the key conference questions.

Tobacco Dependence Treatment Specialist Training.

Become a Tobacco Dependence Treatment Specialist

University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
School of Public Health, Tobacco Dependence Program

5-DAY TRAINING _ New Brunswick, NJ

2006 Dates
June 12-16
September 25-29

The Tobacco Dependence Program of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - School of Public Health, has been specializing in providing intensive training for Tobacco Dependence Treatment Specialists since 2000. Their 5-day curriculum prepares health care professionals to provide treatment for tobacco dependence. Participants gain an in-depth understanding of Tobacco Addiction as well as essential evidence-based treatment tools necessary to help their patient's achieve freedom from tobacco. The nationally recognized faculty brings a wealth of clinical, training and research expertise in tobacco addiction, health consequences of tobacco use, treatment of tobacco dependence, program development and evaluation, as well as treating special populations such as those with mental illness, other addictions or young people. The training format allows for an interactive and comprehensive educational experience. This training is based on the US Public Health Service Guidelines for Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence, with additional components based on scientific and clinical advances since the publication of that document in 2000. Participants will learn how to assess nicotine dependence, conduct treatment planning and deliver face-to-face treatment, including both individual and group counseling and the use of medications. Participants can expect to leave the training with competencies and knowledge of the latest research-based medications and behavioral techniques to effectively treat patients' tobacco dependence.This nationwide training is offered four times per year and is designed to provide clinicians with the competencies described by ATTUD _ (Association for Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence) to be an effective Tobacco Treatment Specialist. Satisfactory completion of this training is a requirement for certification as a Tobacco Treatment Specialist as provided through The Certification Board, Inc. To Register, check the website at: www.tobaccoprogram.org or contact nancy.speelman@umdnj.edu or joan.maurer@umdnj.edu at 732-235-8220 for more information.