Matt Smith is a Tobacco Care Manager (TCMs) working on the Breaking Addiction to Tobacco for Health 2 (BREATHE 2) study, working remotely and calling participants to offer support.
Previously, he worked for UW-Madison on VA-funded research pertaining to Gulf War illnesses.
“That was really cool, I did two years in cardiac rehab,” Smith said, “so this was the first introduction to research. The introduction to the IRB was eye-opening. I was the lead for most of the in-person visits and half of the recruiting for two studies.”
The BREATHE 2 study was a great fit for him. “I liked the ability to work from home. At cardiac rehab, we had a tobacco-cessation program and we referred to the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line. That sparked an interest in helping people quit smoking.”
At cardiac rehab, Smith helped patients to cut down on their smoking and progress through their readiness to quit. He saw real progress. So he likes that participants in BREATHE 2 aren’t forced to promise they’ll quit smoking to participate.
Smith has a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from UW-Oshkosh.
