Director's Corner
Father’s Day, Smoking Cessation and Retail Sales of Tobacco Products
May 31, 2019
When asked why I care so much about smoking cessation, I can’t relate any stories of family tragedies. Rather, my motivation comes from the fact that smoking exerts such a huge toll on health, and also that I lost many patients from smoking-induced diseases. But, like many of my...
Declines in Smoking Prompt Health Groups to Set Ambitious New Goal
January 28, 2019
New target is to reduce smoking among adults with mental illnesses/substance use to 20% by 2022 A group of two dozen health groups and leaders in behavioral health and tobacco control has set an ambitious new goal to reduce smoking among persons with behavioral health issues,...
California’s Program on Medicaid Incentives to Quit Smoking (MIQS)
December 06, 2018
Results from a California program aimed at reducing smoking rates among Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) patients have just been released in a special publication of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The program, known as MIQS (Medi-Cal Incentives to Quit Smoking)...
The New National Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Recovery
October 03, 2018
As of October 1, 2018, the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at UCSF has been officially designated by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as the National Center of Excellence for Tobacco-Free Recovery. This award, which will fund the new...
15 Years Went By Fast
February 20, 2018
By: Steven A. Schroeder On January 15, 2003, the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center at UCSF officially began, thanks to a five-year grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and later supplemented by support from the then American Legacy Foundation, now Truth Initiative...
Looking Back at 2017
December 05, 2017
Looking back at 2017 The end of a year provides an opportunity to take stock as well as to look forward. Obviously, the most dramatic events in 2017 revolved around the change of administration in our federal government. Although tobacco was not a major feature in those...
Alcohol and tobacco—Can AA Groups help to break the connection?
August 08, 2017
By Steven A. Schroeder, MD It is well known that smoking and drinking go together. People who consume alcohol are much more likely to smoke, and vice versa. For those who struggle with alcoholism, the connection is even tighter, with smoking rates among alcoholics reaching up...
Staying Focused During Times of Uncertainty
April 07, 2017
We have now entered an era of uncertain federal support for tobacco control programs following 8 years of a federal government that worked to accelerate the decline of tobacco use. As Dr. Mike Fiore summarized in the October 13, 2016 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine...
No Other Health Intervention Could Yield Such Improvements to the Health of the American Public
January 06, 2017
A New Partnership with The American Cancer Society The new year marks the launch of a new partnership between the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center (SCLC) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) that will focus on smoking cessation among persons with behavioral health...
Election Results and Tobacco Control
November 14, 2016
The recent elections resulted in Republican takeover of the White House and retention of control of both houses of Congress. In addition, several initiatives regarding tobacco taxation and marijuana legalization were featured on state ballots. What do these election results...