Webinars

SCLC's webinar series is integral to the technical assistance provided by the SCLC. Nationally recognized smoking cessation experts offer the latest information related to smoking cessation (including effective interventions) for the general and the behavioral health populations.

The Goals of SCLC’s Webinar Series:

  • Provide training and technical assistance to raise awareness of the many benefits smoking cessation efforts and to increase understanding of effective smoking cessation strategies.
  • Implement or enhance existing tobacco cessation services using evidence-based practices.
  • Ensure that consumers and staff have access to smoking cessation services and support to promote health and wellness.
  • Establish partnerships between behavioral health and nicotine cessation organizations to increase available tobacco cessation resources in communities. 

SCLC has over 100 webinars covering the latest topics on tobacco addiction and recovery

 

Current Webinars

Neurobiology and Recovery: Addressing Nicotine Use Among Individuals with Serious Mental Illness, co-hosted by the National Behavioral Health Network for Tobacco & Cancer Control

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Speakers

Tony P. George, MD, FRCPC

Professor of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Dr. George is Professor of Psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto (UofT), and Senior Scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).  He received his B.Sc. (1988) and M.D. (1992) degrees from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and then did his psychiatry residency (1992-96) and a fellowship in translational neuroscience (1996-98) at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut. He joined the Yale Psychiatry faculty in 1998, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2004. In 2006, he moved to UofT and CAMH as the inaugural Chair in Addiction Psychiatry, which he held until 2012. He has held several leadership positions, including as Chief of Schizophrenia (2008-16) and Addictions (2016-19) Divisions and Medical Director of the Complex Mental Illness Program (2012-16) at CAMH, and Co-Director of the Brain and Therapeutics Division in the UofT Department of Psychiatry (2006-2018).

Dr. George’s research focuses on understanding and treating substance use disorders in people with serious mental illness. He has published over 350 peer-reviewed articles, reviews and other reports. His work has been funded by NIDA and CIHR since 1999. From 2021-2023, he served as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee at the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA). He wrote the chapter on Nicotine and Tobacco in Cecil Textbook of Medicine in the last four editions (2011, 2015, 2019 and 2023). He is Co-Principal Editor for Neuropsychopharmacology (NPP), an official journal of The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).

Alex Hurst, MHA

Project Director, National Behavioral Health Network for Tobacco and Cancer Control; National Council for Mental Wellbeing

Alex currently serves as the Director of Practice Improvement and Consulting for the National Behavioral Health Network for Tobacco & Cancer Control as part of the parent organization the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Based in Houston, Texas, Alex leads a multifaceted array of initiatives focused on eliminating tobacco and cancer related disparities in the mental health population. His purview spans the facilitation of numerous Community of Practices, the strategic development of resources and webinars and the provision of comprehensive training and technical assistance to local, state, and national partners. Prior to his current role, Alex held a position at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he served as the Program Director of the EndTobacco® Program within the Department of Behavioral Science. During his 8 year tenure, he spearheaded transformative initiatives, including the Certified Tobacco Treatment Training Program, Project ECHO TEACH, and the Eliminate Tobacco Use Initiative.

Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, MAS

Director, Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, University of California, San Francisco, Steven A. Schroeder Distinguished Professor of Health and Health Care, Professor of Medicine

Dr. Vijayaraghavan is a practicing general internist and a researcher in tobacco control with a focus on populations experiencing homelessness. She is the Director of the UCSF Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, a Center focused on eliminating disparities in tobacco use prevalence among behavioral health populations. Through her work, funded by the NIH and the Tobacco Related Disease Research Program, she has intervened at the individual, community, health systems, and policy levels to increase access to tobacco treatment and tobacco-free policies. She has collaborated with homeless shelters and supportive housing to implement interventions to increase access to smoking cessation services and smoke-free policies for people who have experienced homelessness with co-occurring mental health and substance us disorders. She co-directs a NIDA-funded postdoctoral training program at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education, focused on tobacco and substance use related research. She practices primary care at the San Francisco General Hospital.

Webinar Objectives:

Webinar Description:

We’ll dive into the neurobiology of nicotine addiction in individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), review promising evidence-based interventions and discuss how tobacco treatment can be effectively integrated into psychiatric and behavioral health systems. We’ll also examine the epidemiological landscape, unpack misconceptions that hinder progress, and highlight population-specific considerations to ensure fair access to care. This session will support clinicians, public health professionals and behavioral health leaders in advancing tobacco-free recovery.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

1.   Describe the impact of tobacco use and nicotine addiction among individuals with serious mental illness and its public health impact.

2.   Identify common myths, biases, and barriers that contribute to disparities in tobacco treatment within psychiatric settings.

3.   Explain the neurobiological mechanisms that make individuals with SMI more vulnerable to nicotine dependence.

4.   Discuss promising interventions and strategies for treating tobacco use among individuals with SMI, including pharmacologic and behavioral approaches.

5.   Explain models/strategies for integrating tobacco treatment into mental health and psychiatric care systems to support long-term recovery and health disparities.

More Information