Dr. Danielle McCarthy News
Does adding patches to varenicline + counseling help?
While offering patients who smoke cigarettes counseling as well as a prescription to varenicline helps them to quit, it turns out that also adding nicotine patches to those other two treatments doesn’t…
UW-CTRI reaches out to kids, families
UW-CTRI Health Counselor Kathleen Cantu and Director of Research Dr. Danielle McCarthy staffed a booth and reached out to kids and their families with information about tobacco use and how to avoid…
UW-CTRI Contributes to DOM
UW-CTRI contributes to the UW Department of Medicine (DOM) in myriad ways – via federal grants, collaborations, communities of practice, publications, sharing of findings and also via participation at UW DOM Research…
UW-CTRI media round-up
Whoo-wee, did UW-CTRI lasso some publicity by granting interviews with big media partners. So wrangle a saddle and check it out!
C3I Cancer Centers Sustain Progress
Most of the cancer center teams who agreed to help their patients quit tobacco use have sustained that high-quality care even after funding for it ended, according to a new paper published…
Dr. Danielle McCarthy honored for excellence
The UW Department of Medicine has selected UW-CTRI Research Director Dr. Danielle McCarthy for an Outstanding Senior Faculty Research Award for her exceptional contributions to research, mentorship and leadership. “Danielle continues to…
Kaye’s NIH award to leverage machine learning for tobacco treatment
UW-CTRI Researcher Dr. Jesse Kaye was awarded a K23 grant, a major career milestone, from the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Institute of Drug Abuse. Kaye will explore how machine learning (a subfield…
Rates of clinician advice to quit smoking low, especially among certain patients
UW-CTRI researchers and colleagues reviewed data from the 2015-2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health of American adults and found only around half of patients who used tobacco products recalled receiving…
Kaye a mainstay at DOM Research Day
UW-CTRI Researcher Dr. Jesse Kaye represented the Center well at the 2025 UW Department of Medicine Research Day. He presented a talk and created a poster on the Smoking Treatment for Oncology…
Dr. McCarthy on Why Quitting Tobacco Helps Cancer Patients
UW-CTRI Research Director Dr. Danielle McCarthy talks to UW Health about why quitting tobacco use is so beneficial to cancer patients, and what UW is doing to facilitate it. To read more…
BREATHE Team Finds Ways to Enhance Recruitment for Smoking Treatment Trials
UW-CTRI researchers have published a new study in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research that identifies some promising ways to improve smoking treatment trial recruitment in primary care settings. Using electronic health…
Do Enhanced Re-Treatment Services Work?
If, at first, you don’t succeed in quitting smoking, try, try again; just know that standard treatments generally work about the same as enhanced ones. Among socioeconomically disadvantaged Wisconsin residents who called…
STOP Cancer Study Reaches Full Recruitment
UW-CTRI and the UW Carbone Cancer Center have successfully welcomed 52 Carbone patients who smoke into the Smoking Treatment for Oncology Patients Study (the STOP Cancer Study), reaching full recruitment. STOP Cancer is…
First Phase of $6 Million NIH Grant Poised to Help UW-CTRI Reach Salvation Army Participants
Dr. Danielle McCarthy describes a new grant designed to help people at community service organizations to address their tobacco use. UW-CTRI will partner with the Salvation Army of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan…
All-Staff Meeting Features a Twist
The 2024 UW-CTRI All-Staff Meeting was anything but typical. It was the first time in the Center’s 32 years that it marked the change of directors. Dr. Michael Fiore, who co-founded the…
UW-CTRI Staffers Present at Conference in Edinburgh
UW-CTRI colleagues presented (or were co-authors on) 12 unique sets of findings at the upcoming Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2024 Annual Conference March 20-23 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Here’s a…
Cancer Initiative Serves 100,000 Patients
The Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I), coordinated by the University of Wisconsin, has now helped more than 100,000 cancer patients to address their tobacco use via the 52 participating NCI-designated cancer centers.…
UW-CTRI and UWCCC Team up to STOP Cancer
In January, UW-CTRI will start reaching out directly to some UW Carbone Cancer Center patients who smoke to let them know about their tobacco treatment options. Patients will also be invited to…
BREATHE 2 Coaches Appreciated as Study Nears Full Recruitment
The Breaking Addiction to Tobacco for Health 2 (BREATHE 2) study continues to help patients at participating health systems who smoke explore their individual journey with tobacco. Participants in the BREATHE 2…
UW-CTRI Participates in NCI’s Cancer Moonshot Seminar Series
UW-CTRI Co-Founder and Director Dr. Michael Fiore was one of three presenters and the moderator for a national webinar sponsored by the National Cancer Institute as part of the Cancer Moonshot Seminar…
Study Findings Could Help Oncology Centers Treat Smoking More Efficiently, Sustainably
Nancy is a long-time smoker seeking cancer treatment—however, her oncology clinicians don’t screen her for her smoking, and don’t offer her help to quit tobacco use. Researchers from the University of Florida,…
UW-CTRI All-Staff Meeting Honors Retirees, Looks to the Future
Colleagues from UW-CTRI celebrated the 31st year of the Center and honored four long-time employees who are retiring or switching roles. They honored Dr. Wendy Theobald, Marie Larson, Dr. Michael Fiore and…
Deep in the Heart of Texas, UW-CTRI Presents at SRNT 2023
UW-CTRI colleagues presented their research findings at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) in San Antonio, Texas. See what they presented below. Researcher Dr. Adrienne…
Study: Wisconsin Adults Who Smoke Receive Primary Care Less, Visit the Hospital More
Wisconsin adults who smoke are receiving primary care less and visiting emergency departments more than their non-smoking counterparts, highlighting a need for change in the way the healthcare community reaches out to…
UW-CTRI to Present at Conference in Texas
UW-CTRI colleagues will present their research findings at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) in San Antonio, Texas, March 1-4, 2023. Here’s a list. Wednesday,…
UW-CTRI Receives $6.5 Million Grant
UW-CTRI Director Dr. Michael Fiore has received a seven-year grant worth $6.5 million to help UW-CTRI identify and disseminate effective, innovative ways to help cancer patients quit smoking. Specifically, UW-CTRI researchers, led by…
Practice Quit Attempts May Help Ease into Quitting
Researchers found that “Practice Quit Attempts”—a cessation technique where smokers set aside a couple hours a day where they won’t smoke, without the pressure of permanently quitting—offer the opportunity for smokers to…
UW-CTRI Celebrates 30 Years
In April 2022, the University of Wisconsin Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI) celebrated 30 years of helping people quit tobacco use. Founded by Drs. Michael Fiore and Timothy Baker, UW-CTRI is nationally recognized…
McCarthy, Piper, and Baker Assume Shared Research Director Roles
Drs. Danielle McCarthy, Megan Piper and Tim Baker are now working collaboratively as UW-CTRI Research Directors, effective this month. McCarthy and Piper have different areas of expertise with some overlap, so they…
Have you Heard that Podcast?
UW-CTRI researchers recently guest-starred on separate presentations: UW-CTRI Associate Director of Research Dr. Danielle McCarthy was a guest on the podcast Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) with host Dr. Narjust Duma and fellow…
Study: E-Referral to Quit Line Works
New technology can improve the ways in which people who smoke get connected with quitting services; one of the most promising developments has been e-referrals, an electronic referral system that uses secure…
Med Students Learn Online about Tobacco Treatment
Fourth-year UW medical students learned about tobacco treatment when they recently completed a public-health elective class led by UW-CTRI Researchers Drs. Megan Piper and Jessica Cook. In past years, the students would get…
UW-CTRI Staff Well Represented at First All-Virtual SRNT Annual Meeting
Dr. Megan Piper, UW-CTRI Associate Director of Research, took her place Sunday as SRNT President (release the SRNT-shirt canons!). Before that, she participated in the Presidential Symposium, specifically as part of the…
Zwaga Investigates How Providers Differ in Treating Patients’ Tobacco Use
Even with training and support, healthcare providers vary markedly in how they address smoking by their patients. New approaches are needed to help them. UW-CTRI Biostatistical Analyst Deejay Zwaga is studying exactly…
C3I Expands Consortium to Help Cancer Patients Quit Smoking
UW-CTRI staff and collaborators attended the virtual 2020 grantee meeting of the nationwide Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I), part of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Cancer Moonshot Initiative, with the goal of…
BREATHE 2 Study Re-Launches at Pilot Clinic with COVID-19 Precautions
The Breaking Addiction to Tobacco for Health 2 (BREATHE 2) study re-launched at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center on November 11. “We all worked so hard to get here once in March…
Study Finds Varenicline Best Before Quitting, Combo Meds During a Quit Attempt
It is difficult to quit smoking, but, building on the discoveries of Dr. Tim Baker, a new study has shown that taking the right medication at the right time can make a…
Dr. Baker’s Novel Treatment Can Improve Craving and Anhedonia
A novel treatment can suppress significant withdrawal symptoms more effectively than the usual care, according to a UW-CTRI paper published in the journal Addiction. This innovative approach, developed by UW-CTRI Research Director…
Tobacco: A Dual Risk to Black Lives
Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network Director Lorraine Lathen (right) and UW-CTRI Associate Director of Research Dr. Danielle McCarthy (below) penned a letter to the editor on the risks of tobacco to African…
NCI Grants Supplement Award to Deejay Zwaga
Deejay Zwaga, MPH, UW-CTRI Biostatistical Analyst, has been awarded grant funding from the National Cancer Center as part of their diversity program. The award is a supplement to the R35 Grant held…
Dr. Danielle McCarthy and Dr. Bruce Christiansen Garner Promotions
UW-CTRI Associate Director of Research Dr. Danielle McCarthy has been promoted to Professor of Medicine. “I am deeply honored to have received this recognition from my colleagues,” McCarthy said. “Support I received…
Before Pandemic, UW-CTRI Shared Findings in New Orleans
As news of COVID-19 was just starting to break, some UW-CTRI staff were in New Orleans to present their research on tobacco use at the annual conference of the Society for Research…
Med Students Learn from UW-CTRI How to Help Patients Quit Smoking
Five UW medical students recently finished their public-health elective class on tobacco treatment led by UW-CTRI Researchers Drs. Jessica Cook and Megan Piper. The course includes an overview of tobacco treatment and electronic medical records…
Danielle McCarthy Receives Mentorship Award
UW-CTRI Associate Director of Research Dr. Danielle McCarthy is the recipient of a 2020 UW-Madison Postdoc Mentoring Award from the UW-Madison Postdoctoral Association. McCarthy was nominated by UW-CTRI Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr.…
Esteemed Researcher Dr. Robin Mermelstein Continues Collaboration with UW-CTRI
Dr. Robin Mermelstein’s connection with UW-CTRI goes back 20 years and continues on a new grant. “I feel incredibly honored to be part of the CTRI team,” she said. “They are the…
New Grant to Evaluate eReferral to the Quit Line
A new grant from the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (UW-ICTR) will evaluate electronic referrals from primary-care clinics to the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. The grant, led by UW-CTRI Associate…
Momentum Builds for Cancer Centers Treating Tobacco Use
UW-CTRI staff and collaborators in September attended the fall 2019 grantee meeting of the nationwide Cancer Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. They discussed what they’ve learned…
UW-CTRI Colleagues Present at National Conference in Minneapolis
UW-CTRI staff and partners presented their findings from tobacco research and outreach projects a total of nine times at the 2019 National Conference on Tobacco or Health in Minneapolis August 27-29. The…
UW-CTRI Course Empowers Med Student to Help Relative, Patients Try to Quit Smoking
Before Dr. Chinou Vang began his residency in June at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, he used the skills he learned from the Tobacco Dependence Treatment Course at the University of…
UW-CTRI Researchers Present Posters at Research Day, Win Awards
Six researchers from UW-CTRI presented their work last month at the 2019 UW Department of Medicine Research Day at the Health Sciences Learning Center in Madison, and two of them won awards…
Vaping a Hot Topic at SRNT in San Francisco, Including in UW-CTRI Presentations
Vaping was a hot topic at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine or Tobacco (SRNT) held at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco, as use of…
UW-CTRI Researchers to Present at SRNT Conference in San Francisco
UW-CTRI staff will present 17 times at SRNT 2019 in San Francisco, via seven presentations and 10 research posters. Pre-conference Workshop An Update to the Basics: Current Approaches for Measuring and Understanding…
Scientific Advisors Meet in Madison to Discuss Progress on Innovative EHR Projects
A group of experts from around the country met at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wisconsin in August to discuss progress on partnerships between UW-CTRI, Epic, Smokefree.gov, and three Wisconsin health-care systems to…
Innovative Study Helps Smokers Practice Quitting
UW-CTRI has completed recruitment for a pilot study designed to encourage participants to practice the act of quitting smoking for up to a day at a time, then return to smoking by…
UW-CTRI Staff Share Findings at UW Department of Medicine Research Day
UW-CTRI staff and collaborators presented research findings at the University of Wisconsin Department of Medicine (DOM) Research Day June 15 at the Health Sciences Learning Center on the UW campus in Madison.…
UW-CTRI Presents Research at SRNT Baltimore
UW-CTRI researchers presented 14 times at the 2018 annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) at the Baltimore Hilton February 21-24. In addition to six podium presentations,…
UW-CTRI Staff to Present Findings at SRNT-Italy
Five UW-CTRI staff members in March will present research findings at the 2017 Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Annual Meeting in Florence, Italy.UW-CTRI Associate Research Director Dr. Megan Piper will…
Real-time Data Could Lead to Better Quit-Smoking Treatments
New research published in the journal Psychological Assessment may help researchers develop interventions to ease withdrawal in the moments smokers are experiencing them. People trying to quit smoking may feel they are on an…
Dr. Danielle McCarthy Returns to UW-CTRI as Associate Professor of Medicine
Dr. Danielle McCarthy has joined UW-CTRI as an Associate Professor of Medicine. She serves as an Associate Director of Research at UW-CTRI along with Associate Director of Research Dr. Megan Piper. McCarthy…
UW-CTRI Staff Present Research at 2015 SRNT Conference in Philly
UW-CTRI colleagues joined hundreds of researchers and healthcare professionals gathered at the Marriott hotel in downtown Philadelphia for the 2015 Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco annual meeting. Researchers presented more…