UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention
Vaccination Lowers Risk – Findings from Second-Largest COVID Study in US A current cancer diagnosis posed a significant risk for severe outcomes (ICU admission and death) over the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the second-largest study of COVID-19 patients in the United States, funded by the National Cancer Institute. Prior COVID-19 …
Two counties on the tippy top of Northern Wisconsin—along the shores of Lake Superior—have implemented the Bucket Approach for helping patients with behavioral health challenges to quit tobacco use. The Bucket Approach, developed by retired UW-CTRI researcher Dr. Bruce Christiansen, is an evidence-based strategy to treat tobacco use among clients in a systematic, efficient way. The idea …
Project 3 of the BREATHE 2 study has begun in participating clinics within the UW Health and Advocate Aurora Health systems. “We are offering patients who enroll in the study a package of different treatments proven to be effective in our prior center grant,” said Dr. Jessica Cook, project leader. Researchers are testing whether this …
Jackie from Green Bay had tried to quit smoking “a million times,” she said. “I’d say, ‘this is the last cigarette for sure.’ Then, I’d go to the gas station and the cashier would know me and say, ‘Smokes?’ Sometimes, he’d have a pack of my brand ready at the register.” Jackie had tried 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 ease into cessation, something that, with further research, could prove to be incredibly helpful for someone’s quitting journey. “Quitting smoking is a behavior …
UW-CTRI has achieved full participation for the Withdraw from Tobacco Study. The researchers seek to better understand withdrawal from tobacco so that healthcare providers can better help people quit smoking. The study, led by UW-CTRI Associate Director Dr. Tim Baker and Dr. Jesse Kaye, recruited more than 200 people who have attempted to quit smoking without medication …
Presentations Posters
No study can function if it doesn’t recruit and keep participants and, for the BREATHE 2 Study, that pivotal role is played by Tobacco Care Managers (TCMs). BREATHE 2 is a collaboration between UW-CTRI, Advocate Aurora Health, and UW Health. The participating clinics’ electronic health record prompts clinic staff to inform all patients who attend …
UW-CTRI Founders Dr. Tim Baker and Dr. Michael Fiore are the editors of the new Monograph from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) on tobacco use and treatment to be released this month. NCI founded the series in 1991 as the Smoking and Tobacco Control Monograph series. It provides comprehensive scientific reviews of tobacco use, treatment, …
UW-CTRI Director of Biostatistical Operations Dr. Stevens Smith will retire January 1, 2023, after 30 years of service at the Center. “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to do very meaningful work with great colleagues at UW-CTRI,” said Smith, a professor in the UW Department of Medicine. “In addition to contributing to UW-CTRI’s team science, I had …