UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention
Since 2021, UW-CTRI has partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Forensic Mental Health Section to integrate tobacco screening and referrals to treatment into statewide reentry program services for people with behavioral health conditions who are reentering their communities after incarceration. Early in the partnership, reentry programs expressed interest in UW‑CTRI’s Bucket Approach training because …
UW-CTRI Health Counselor Kathleen Cantu and Director of Research Dr. Danielle McCarthy staffed a booth and reached out to kids and their families with information about tobacco use and how to avoid it. It was part of the UW Science Expeditions experience at the Health Sciences Learning Center on the UW–Madison campus. McCarthy’s son, Grant, …
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 same device. These flavors are sold in self-contained, pre-packaged pods. Other devices use refillable pods. Users can empty one flavor and switch to another; …
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 only tobacco (91%), but many who smoke both cannabis and tobacco (39%). In that same issue of CHEST, UW-CTRI Director Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria and Researcher Dr. Jesse Kaye analyzed the …
UW-CTRI contributes to the UW Department of Medicine (DOM) in myriad ways – via federal grants, collaborations, communities of practice, publications, sharing of findings and also via participation at UW DOM Research Day. This year, UW-CTRI Research Director Dr. Danielle McCarthy and Emeritus Researcher Dr. Stevens Smith reviewed posters on display and honored those who shared insightful, …
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 Researcher Dr. Jesse Kaye and Dr. Andrea Weinberger were workshop co-chairs for “Tobacco and Cannabis Co–Use Through a Health Equity Lens.” At that …
Whoo-wee, did UW-CTRI lasso some publicity by granting interviews with big media partners. So wrangle a saddle and check it out!
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 recording it. “This is a major win for public health,” said UW-CTRI Director Dr. Hasmeena Kathuria. “This is thanks to public health workers, researchers, …
Nixodine vapes, offered in sweet flavors, are widely available online, raising concerns because they are marketed as “nicotine‑free” while still promising a strong, satisfying hit, features that may appeal to youth. These products contain a substance called nixodine rather than nicotine. While nicotine is an alkaloid derived from tobacco leaves, nixodine is created in labs …
For people who both smoke and vape, there will be new paths to help them address their relationship with nicotine – now from coast to coast. The Avenues study has expanded to recruit nationally, thanks to funding from the National Cancer Institute. UW-CTRI Research Director Dr. Megan Piper and UW-CTRI Associate Director Dr. Tim Baker lead the study, with …