Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria News
Product Watch: Vapes like Apple watches?
A new product that concerns public health leaders is a device that resembles a pocket watch with a touchscreen akin to an Apple watch. It also contains nicotine. It’s a vaping device…
Mints as nicotine delivery systems?
A new product available online that could affect public health is Mint Mates, a product from 7 Daze. They’re mints that look like breath fresheners or candy but also include nicotine. The…
Product Watch: Vaping marketed as ‘stress relief’
Some vape companies, such as UT, market their products as “stress relief.” According to research by Truth Initiative, during the pandemic, 81% of young people who started vaping did so to try to lessen feelings…
ATS Conference: Co-design works
Above: UW-CTRI Director Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria and colleagues presented their poster at the American Thoracic Society 2026 Annual Meeting. The poster was called, “Opening the black box of engagement in smoking cessation…
Product Watch: The new trend is vaping while charging
Vaping companies have tried to make their devices irresistible to customers through the use of nicotine, flavors, touch screens and devices that offer as many as 100,000 puffs. Until now, the only…
UW-CTRI updates the Bucket Approach training
UW-CTRI has updated the popular Bucket Approach training, a strategy that professionals in behavioral healthcare can use to help patients quit tobacco use. Created in 2017 by now-retired UW-CTRI Distinguished Scientist Dr.…
What are vape ‘switch’ devices?
Teens and adults who vape can now switch between flavors without having to change a cartridge. The new products, generally called switch vapes, allow customers to toggle between two flavors in the…
CHEST: Co-use raises health concerns
In a recent issue of the medical journal CHEST, Dr. Pauline Pradère et al examined health records of 150 French patients with lung cancer and observed very high rates of patients who smoke – not…
UW-CTRI takes Wisconsin Idea to Baltimore
UW-CTRI colleagues presented and served in a plethora of roles at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) 2026 Annual Conference in Baltimore. Here is a rundown: Pre-conference workshops UW-CTRI…
Federal cigarette smoking rate dips below 10%
The federal rate of Americans smoking cigarettes is 9.9%, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. The rate, down from 42.4% in 1965, is the lowest since federal officials began…
Nicotine in pouches triples to 30 mg
The FDA has issued marketing authorization for only a limited number of nicotine pouches in 3 mg, 6 mg, and 9 mg strengths. Some companies now sell products containing up to 30…
UW-CTRI media roundup
ABC 7 TV news in Wausau interviewed Quit Line Coordinator Kate Kobinsky to discuss how the Quit Line is quadrupling free medications to quit smoking while supplies last. To watch that video,…
Wisconsin Idea to Shine in Baltimore
UW-CTRI colleagues will embody the Wisconsin Idea by presenting their research findings to people from around the world during the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco’s 2026 annual conference in Baltimore.…
New Nicotine Lozenges Resemble Candy
2One, a company that makes nicotine pouches, now sells nicotine lozenges called Hyppe. These products should not be confused with the nicotine lozenges that are approved by the FDA for smoking cessation.…
UW-CTRI media round-up
UW-CTRI staff recently granted interviews to several media outlets. So saddle up, y’all, for this month’s round-up!
UW-CTRI promotes lung cancer screening
UW-CTRI colleagues Kathleen Cantu and Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria promoted lung cancer screening and quitting tobacco use on National Lung Cancer Screening Day. “Adding smoking cessation treatment to lung cancer screening can further…
3 new vapes raise health concerns
Three new vape products are on the market, potentially exacerbating public health concerns. Vaping can increase health risks among users for COPD, sleep problems, impulsivity, mood disorders, damaged smile, anhedonia and use…
Great American Smokeout is Nov. 20
Vapes that are also iPhone cases? Call the Quit Line for help. The Great American Smokeout is Nov. 20. This year, parents are alerted not just to the dangers of their teens…
UW-CTRI media round-up
UW-CTRI staff recently granted interviews to several media outlets. So grab your pardners, dosey doe for this month’s round-up.
Research gaps remain in co-use of cannabis and tobacco
UW-CTRI Research Director Dr. Megan Piper and UW-CTRI Director Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria served on the American Thoracic Society expert panel who reviewed the latest evidence on co-use of cannabis and tobacco and made several important recommendations.…
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…
These vapes are also iPhone cases
We’ve seen “smart vapes” designed to look like smart phones, we’ve seen vapes that look like purses. Now vape products are built into iPhone cases. One brand, Humo Case, offers flavors like…
UW-CTRI contributes to new guidelines to treat adolescent vaping
UW-CTRI Director Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria and Research Director Dr. Megan Piper served on the American Thoracic Society expert panel who reviewed the latest evidence on adolescent vaping and made several important recommendations. Among them: Clinicians should…
Vapes shaped like… purses?
Source: Prime Supply Distro Some people keep their vaping devices in their purses. The RAZ RYL Classic 35K Vape looks and feels like a purse filled with nicotine. The product, priced wholesale…
UW-CTRI presents findings in Chicago
UW-CTRI colleagues presented the following presentations and posters at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health in the Sheraton Grand Riverwalk in Chicago August 26-28. Here’s a rundown. Presentations 1. Equity in Action: Tobacco…
UW-CTRI media round-up
UW-CTRI staff lassoed coverage in several news outposts in recent weeks. So tie up your horse while we rustle up this media round-up:
Editorial: For the tobacco endgame, access to treatment is a human right
Given that tobacco remains the leading cause of disease and death in the US, access to care to help people quit should be a basic human right, assert the authors of a…
First UW Cannabis Research Conference connects potential collaborators
UW-CTRI co-hosted the inaugural UW-Madison Cannabis Research Conference at Union South on Earth Day, April 22, 2025. As dual use of nicotine and cannabis grows, and the state legislature considers legalization of cannabis use,…
UW-CTRI Staff Share Findings in New Orleans
UW-CTRI colleagues presented at the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2025 Annual Conference in New Orleans. Here’s a rundown of UW-CTRI participation. Symposia 1. Dr. Adrienne Johnson, co-chair.Pre-Conference Workshop #3:…
UW-CTRI to Co-Host UW Cannabis Research Conference
As dual use of nicotine and cannabis grows, and the state legislature considers legalization of cannabis use, UW-CTRI is co-sponsoring the inaugural UW-Madison Cannabis Research Conference at Union South April 22. The…
SRNT: UW-CTRI to Present in New Orleans
UW-CTRI colleagues will present at the upcoming Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2025 Annual Conference in New Orleans March 13-15. Here’s a rundown of UW-CTRI participation. Symposia Presentations Posters Watch for…
How Ego Networks Affect Vaping in Fraternities
Researchers from the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle—as well as from UW-CTRI and Texas A&M—recently published a paper in the Journal of American College Health on how college fraternity members’ social networks…
Switching from Smoking to Vaping Carries Risks and Benefits
Quitting smoking by changing to only vaping is associated with better resolution of wheezing, but still carries risks, according to a new study in Nicotine & Tobacco Research. However, coughing persisted the…
Researchers: Making Lung-Cancer Screening Eligibility Inclusive, Specific, Accurate
Research shows lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, with Black men in the United States experiencing the highest incidence and mortality rates. Lung-cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography…
New Papers Call for Policymakers, Clinicians to Help Black People Avoid Tobacco Harms
Two new papers in medical journals written by UW-CTRI authors excoriate the tobacco industry’s exploitation of Black Americans and encourage policymakers and clinicians to help Black Wisconsin residents quit tobacco use. The…
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…
UW Study to Test Effects of Vaping on Heart & Lung Health
The National Institutes of Health has funded a five-year, $5.7 million grant to the UW to study the long-term effects of vaping on heart and lung health. People who participate will receive…
Kathuria Earns Named Professorship
UW-CTRI Director Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria has been named the Jan and Kathryn Ver Hagen Professor of Translational Research in Medicine. This professorship confirms the high esteem that colleagues across campus hold for…
Youth Group Visits UW-CTRI
From left: Dr. Brian Williams, Rev. Steven Tipton, Dr. Adrienne Johnson, Dr. Marcia Tipton and Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria. Teens from El Bethel Church in Milwaukee visited UW-CTRI—where faculty spoke to them about…
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…
Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria Begins as Center Director
Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria officially began her work as the UW-CTRI Director on July 1, 2024, succeeding Dr. Michael Fiore, the founding director with Dr. Tim Baker. Kathuria met with UW-CTRI colleagues in…
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…
Collaborators Meet in Milwaukee with Community Advisory Board
The Milwaukee Collaboration Project held its first Community Advisory Board (CAB) meeting in August. The CAB is comprised of African American professionals, residents of Milwaukee, and other state and national public health…
Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria to Succeed Fiore as UW-CTRI Director
Hasmeena Kathuria, MD, has agreed to become the next UW-CTRI director, succeeding founding director Dr. Michael Fiore, Dean Robert Golden announced. UW-CTRI founders Fiore and Dr. Tim Baker will direct the Center…
Study: College Students Vape Much More Than They Realize
A new study found, for the first time, that vaping reported from memory by college students is significantly less than vaping recorded with real-time measures. The research, led by Dr. Anne Buu…