Category: Tanya Schlam

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 …

When Smokers Relapse, Should They Try Again Right Away?

If at first someone can’t succeed at quitting smoking, they should not only try, try again—but immediately, according to new research from the University of Wisconsin published in the journal Addiction. Their doctors shouldn’t be afraid to encourage them to retry quitting immediately, said lead author Dr. Tanya Schlam, a UW professor and researcher. “Most …

UW Researchers Present Findings at SRNT Conference in Baltimore

Researchers representing UW-CTRI and the Center Cessation Initiative (C3I) presented findings at the Annual Conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) in Baltimore April 14-18. Here is a summary: UW-CTRI Co-Research Director and SRNT President Dr. Megan Piper presented the SRNT presidential address at the presidential symposium. In her state of SRNT …

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 to shadow UW-CTRI experts in person but, due to the pandemic, this year that wasn’t possible. So Kay Lera, Assistant to the UW-CTRI …

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 Racial Equity Task Force. “Working towards racial equity is a goal that benefits all of the members, and society at large,” Piper said. …

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 Dr. Tim Baker, suggests the process of quitting smoking can be divided into phases, each with different opportunities for intervention. Starting treatment while …

Decreasing Nicotine Gum Use May Lead to Lapsing Back to Smoking

UW-CTRI researchers used an electronic device to track the use of nicotine gum by participants in the UW-Partnership to Assist and Serve Smokers (UW-PASS) Study (who also all received nicotine patches), and found that people who had a slip and smoked (lapsed) while trying to quit used less gum right before and after that first …

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 on Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT) March 12-14. Others stayed home due to concerns about the spreading coronavirus, canceling travel and sending posters or …

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 by UW-CTRI Director Dr. Michael Fiore as well as an intro to evidence-based treatment and counseling by Piper and Cook. It is offered once …

Ability to Tolerate Distress Associated with Smoking Abstinence

Those with a high ability to tolerate distress may be more likely to quit smoking and remain smoke-free a year later, according to a UW-CTRI paper published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research. Researchers looked at distress tolerance (a measure of how much an individual can withstand difficult situations and emotions) as well as anxiety sensitivity …