AUG/SEPT 2004
Volume 10 - No. 3
SRNT Newsletter
August/September 2004, Volume 10, Number 3
News from the CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reorganized to more effectively met the challenges of public health in the 21st century. You may wish to refer to the CDC web site for more information on the CDC Futures Initiative (http://www.cdc.gov/futures/ ). I believe that many positive developments will occur because of these changes, including strengthening the Centers science base and facilitating improved dissemination of scientific findings. Concern was raised that the reorganization process might limit the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) from playing its designated leadership role for tobacco control in the federal government. In response to that concern, the CDC announced that OSH would remain intact and provided the following quote:
"The Office on Smoking and health will continue to play its role as the federal government's focal point for tobacco control. Tobacco control will remain a top agency priority because the use of tobacco continues to be the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the nation. Dr. Gerberding is committed to sustaining the agency's intensive and broad-scale work to combat smoking and other tobacco use among all population groups."
I will let you know how the process unfolds. In addition, I encourage SRNT researchers to become familiar with the OSH website (www.cdc.gov/tobacco). One feature I use frequently is the Smoking and Health Database, which includes more than 60,000 published documents. In addition to MedLine, I search this database when I begin literature reviews because the two databases often complement each other. For example, OSH will have some articles from journals that aren't indexed in MedLine; MedLine will have some articles that OSH doesn't. Also, the OSH database includes book chapters, which are not indexed in MedLine. I also encourage you to check out the link to the 2004 report of the Surgeon General (http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_2004/index.htm ), which includes links to the report itself, a layperson's version, and an animated interactive web site that outlines the effects of smoking on different body organs. You might also want to subscribe electronically to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/ ), which publishes useful articles on tobacco control.