Tobacco products are the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, killing approximately 500,000 people per year. For the past quarter century, faculty and staff members at UW-Madison have been fighting this deadly killer - and making progress.

A cover story in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health alumni magazine The Quarterly featured the work of Michael Fiore, MD, MPH, MBA, professor, General Internal Medicine and director of the UW Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention (UW-CTRI).

Detailing the accomplishments of UW-CTRI team members throughout the institution's 25-year history, the article focused on its contributions to tobacco research, clinical practice guidelines, regulatory policies, and outreach programs for tobacco cessation and anti-smoking initiatives.

Other center members mentioned in the article include UW-CTRI director of research Timothy Baker, PhD, director of research administration David Fraser, MS,  director of clinical services and professor (CHS) Douglas Jorenby, PhD, and director of outreach Robert Adsit, MEd. Members of the center's scientific team include associate professor Megan Piper, PhD, associate professor Danielle McCarthy, PhD, associate professor, Jessica Cook, PhD, and associate scientist Tanya Schlam, PhD.

"More than 250,000 Wisconsin smokers have benefited from the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line and other cessation programs. And our partnership with the UW Carbone Cancer Center expands our capacity to prevent deadly tobacco-caused cancers," said Dr. Fiore.

Resources: 

• "Investigators are Tracking America's Deadliest Killer: Tobacco Addiction," UW School of Medicine and Public Health, July 18, 2017