Year in Review – 2018

As we begin the new year 2019, we’ve compiled some highlights of the past year at the UPenn Prevention Research Center.  Enjoy the video, and note some of our key accomplishments.

  • The University of Pennsylvania made great strides towards promoting the health of students and staff, both mentally and physically. We aim to continue to contribute to these efforts!

  • The UPenn PRC Director, Karen Glanz, spent 4 months on  a sabbatical at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, where she became an expert voice in the debate over banning sunscreens with certain ingredients, thought to cause damage to coral reefs.

  • In November,  we explored the findings of tobacco control science research with experts from Penn and around the country. We saw broad acknowledgement of the epidemic of e-cigarette use, and learned more about the devices and the marketing of these products, and the policy options being considered.

We look forward to a healthy and productive 2019 and hope to help our community continue to advance chronic disease prevention for many healthy new years ahead!

 

Highlights from the 2018 Evidence Academy

The Tobacco Control Science Evidence Academy was held last Friday, November 16, 2018 at The Study at University City. There was ample space for the 90 registrants, breakfast and lunch, along with nine different breakout sessions. All were there to learn and share research on tobacco control, cessation, and smoking technology.

View the program of the event for details and presentation titles, here.

The Plenary Addresses started us off, with Andrew Strasser, PhD, Robert Schnoll, PhD, and Andrea Villanti, PhD, MPH.

After the Clinical, Research, and Policy/Action Breakout Sessions, there was a short break to grab lunch and then take a seat for the Keynote Speaker, Kurt Ribisl, PhD, who gave his presentation on the “Demise of Cigarettes and the Rise of E-Cigarettes: Fixing our Flawed Response.”

The Planning Committee assembled a panel of specialists to discuss how tobacco is affecting Philadelphia.

Sean McCormick moderated the panel through a discussion of how they’ve been able to make changes in their organizations’ policies and provide a healthier environment. We had five Flash Talk presenters from different universities and organizations.

Support for this event was provided by the Population Science Program of Abramson Cancer Center, the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network, and the UPenn Prevention Research Center.

  • View and download high resolution photos from our Facebook album here.
  • See what organizers, speakers and attendees had to say about the event on Twitter using #penntobaccocontrol.

 

Resources from the organizations involved in this event:

CIRNA

Penn Stop

Get Healthy Philly 

Truth Initiative

Health Promotion Council

American Cancer Society

American Lung Association

Abramson Cancer Center – Penn Medicine

Call for Flash Talks at the Tobacco Control Conference

We are seeking researchers, graduate students, postdocs, and community public health practitioners to give 6-minute “flash talks” about tobacco research, practice, or advocacy at the Tobacco Control Science Evidence Academy on Friday, November 16, 2018 in Philadelphia. Talks in all areas of tobacco control research and practice are welcome, including:

  • New tobacco products
  • Translating research
  • Tobacco cessation programs and interventions
  • Community action
  • Tobacco use in youth
  • Retail and point of sale regulations
  • Use of technology
  • Lung cancer and screening
  • Clinical and pharmacological research
  • Health disparities
  • Health communication
  • Advocacy

To apply, please see submission details here. Submissions are due by Friday, October 26th and will be reviewed by experts from our planning committee.

The Tobacco Control Science Evidence Academy is hosted by the University of Pennsylvania sites of the Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) and the Prevention Research Center (PRC). The CPCRN and the PRC are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, and seek to improve health, reduce disparities, and bridge the gap between research and practice.

 

A 1-day conference on tobacco control and products in Philadelphia

This Evidence Academy will be a one-day conference designed to bring together researchers and health professionals, advocates, and policymakers, to accelerate the process of integrating research findings about tobacco prevention and control, into public health and clinical practice.

The Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network (CPCRN) and the UPenn Prevention Research Center (UPenn PRC) are funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), and seek to improve health, reduce disparities, and bridge the gap between research and practice. This event is also sponsored by the Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center, a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education.

November 16, 2018
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The Study at University City, 3700 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA

Featured Speakers

• Michael Amato, PhD
Methodologist and Research Investigator
Truth Initiative

• Michael Fiore, MD, MPH, MBA
Hilldale Professor of Medicine
University of Wisconsin

• Meghan Moran, PhD
Assistant professor in Department of Health, Behavior & Society
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Kurt Ribisl, PhD
Professor and chair in the Department of Health Behavior
University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health

• Robert Schnoll, PhD
Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania

• Andrew Strasser, PhD
Research Associate Professor of Behavioral Health in Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

• Anil Vachani, MD
Associate Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

• Jennifer Irvin Vidrine, PhD
Professor in the Department of Family & Preventive Medicine
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

• Andrea Villanti, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry
Vermont Center on Behavior & Health at the University of Vermont

View the event program