Category: Megan Piper

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 consider prescribing varenicline and offering technology-based support, such as text messaging programs, to help teens quit vaping. “While varenicline is not yet FDA-approved …

JAMA Network Commentary Explores Tobacco Retailer Density

Collecting data via smart phones has extended research on drug cues from tightly controlled lab experiments to being able to track exposure to drug cues in real time. In an invited JAMA Network commentary by UW-CTRI authors Dr. Megan Piper and Dr. Jen Betts, they pointed out that Muzekari et al. (2025) helped readers understand …

Cannabis use associated with difficulty switching cigarettes out for vapes

Cannabis use reduces the chances someone will try to quit smoking, according to findings published by UW-CTRI researchers in Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Researchers found that, among 160 Options Study participants, cannabis co-use reduced switching from cigarettes to vapes or very-low nicotine cigarettes (VLNCs). “I was surprised that almost half of participants reported cannabis use …

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 …

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:

Research Demonstrates Vaping Turns Sleep Into a Vicious Cycle

Young adults who vaped experienced interrupted sleeping, which turned their sleep-vape schedule into a vicious cycle, according to research published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research. Researchers from the University of Texas in Houston and UW-CTRI tracked 35 young adults (ages 18–25) who vaped daily and wore smartwatches 24/7 to assess sleep quality. Participants completed ecological …

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: Moving the Needle on Impact: Implementation Strategies and Applications in Tobacco Treatment. Presenters highlighted an implementation science framework, strategy, or study design and …

Which Products Help Avoid Regular Cigs?

Alternative products like vapes or cigarettes with very low levels of nicotine (VLNCs) seemed to help people with no intention of quitting smoking to avoid smoking their regular brand of cigs—not just during a trial switch week but even in the week thereafter. These results, from the original Options Study led by UW-CTRI Director of …

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 full coverage from New Orleans in the April!

UW-CTRI Media Roundup

UW-CTRI once again lassoed headlines locally and nationally. Saddle up! Nicotine Regulation Vape Check Study Menthols