The US Veterans Administration (VA) selected UW-CTRI Director of Veterans Research Dr. Jessica Cook as one of 10 tobacco experts to serve on a workgroup that will help develop the Clinical Practice Guideline for Tobacco Cessation for veterans.
The workgroup will advise the VA and Department of Defense (DoD) Evidence Based Practice Work Group (EBPWG) to develop the guidelines for the VA and Department of Defense.
“This is an honor that reflects the great work of our whole team conducting tobacco-related research at the VA,” Cook said. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with the workgroup.”
The workgroup will serve approximately an hour per week for 18-20 months beginning in June 2024. EBPWG will fund travel for Cook and the workgroup to the Washington, DC area for four days to review current evidence and develop treatment recommendations.
The workgroup will determine the scope for the guideline, develop the key questions for the literature review, select inclusion and exclusion criteria, and draft the specific recommendations.
The EBPWG was established to advise the VA/DoD Health Executive Council on the use of clinical and epidemiological evidence to improve the health of the population across the Veterans Health Administration and Military Health System. The EBPWG has two co-chairpersons (one from the VA and one from DoD) and includes representatives from each military branch and the Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISN). The workgroup was first chartered in 2004.