Melissa Hansen is the inaugural tobacco treatment specialist for the new UW Carbone Cancer Center Tobacco Treatment Program.
It’s a collaborative partnership between UW Health, Carbone and UW-CTRI.
Hansen has personal experience with overcoming smoking and some of its long-term effects.
Now she’s excited to be able to assist Carbone patients seeking treatment to quit tobacco products.
“We have the opportunity to empower patients to quit with resources, education and support,” she said.
When a nurse navigator or intake colleague screens a Carbone patient and documents tobacco use, they’ll be informed they’ll receive a call from the tobacco treatment specialist to discuss how to address their tobacco use. This referral will be on an opt-out basis.
“Tobacco treatment should be part of their cancer journey,” Hansen said.
Hansen has experience as a certified medical assistant at Carbone. Before that, she was the community liaison and events coordinator for the mayor’s office in Green Bay. Previously, she served as the development coordinator at Freedom House Ministries, supporting missions and the creation of donor relations systems and procedures.
She was the first in her family to get her degree, a bachelor’s in organizational leadership from UW-Green Bay.
Melissa has family members who also smoked and have suffered from the effects. She’s driven to help patients succeed in addressing their tobacco use and improve their health outcomes.
