Category: Karen Conner

Lorraine Lathen and team join UW-CTRI

Lorraine Lathen, a revered advocate who for more than 20 years has helped Black people in the Milwaukee area avoid the harms of tobacco use, has officially joined UW-CTRI as a full-time employee. Lathen’s impact extends across Milwaukee and the state, where she has spent decades bringing together public health leaders, faith communities, policymakers and …

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. Bruce Christiansen, the idea of the Bucket Approach is that individuals with severe mental illness, who smoke at higher rates than the general …

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 Use Disorder Treatment in Criminal Justice Systems. UW-CTRI Director Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria, Catherine Bonniot (UCSF), Dr. Chad Morris (Colorado), Michelene Krueger (Johnson County Department …

Vaping: What are Wisconsin young adults thinking?

Before clinicians can help young adults quit vaping, it’s important to know what they think about vaping, how they’ve tried to quit and what methods they might try in the future. UW-CTRI researchers asked 480 Wisconsin young adults, ages 18 to 24, who had vaped nicotine in the past month to complete an online survey …

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 article, by UW-CTRI Director Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria, calls on the US government to follow through on its promise to ban menthol flavoring …

Allison Gorrilla to Manage Wisconsin Nicotine Treatment Integration Project (WiNTiP)

UW-CTRI Regional Outreach Specialist Allison (Allie) Gorrilla has taken on an additional duty—coordinating the Wisconsin Nicotine Treatment Integration Project (WiNTIP). WiNTiP was co-founded by Dr. Eric Heiligenstein and David “Mac” Macmaster back in 2008, and originally managed by UW-CTRI Distinguished Researcher Dr. Bruce Christiansen, who retired in 2022. It is supported by the Wisconsin Commercial …

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 organization with Dr. Tim Baker, and served as its founding director for 32 years, welcomed the group that included new UW-CTRI Director Dr. …

UW-CTRI Promotes Karen Conner to be the Next Outreach Director

Karen Conner will be the next UW-CTRI Outreach Director, taking over for Rob Adsit, who is retiring. She will begin on March 16 in an interim role while Adsit is on leave and will officially become the Outreach Director on July 1 when Adsit’s retirement is official. “I am so pleased that our own Karen …

UW-CTRI Appreciates Rob Adsit as He Retires

UW-CTRI Outreach Director Rob Adsit, MEd, will have his last day at work for UW-CTRI in March and formally retire in July after 20 years of distinguished service at the Center. Details regarding his replacement will be forthcoming over the next few weeks, said UW-CTRI Director Dr. Michael Fiore. He joined the UW-CTRI staff in …

UW Examines COVID‑related Disparities Among American Indians and Alaska Natives

Comorbidities, area social deprivation, and access to treatment were all important contributors to the mortality disparity between American Indians and Alaska Natives compared to white inpatients with COVID-19, according to new research analysis. The results, published in Scientific Reports and based on data gathered from the COVID EHR Cohort at the University of Wisconsin (CEC-UW), …