Since our founding in 2023, the California Center for Tobacco Cessation has been committed to providing training and technical assistance to lead California toward the end of commercial tobacco use. As 2025 winds down, we’ve been reflecting on our accomplishments this year and preparing for exciting developments in the year ahead.

2025 Highlights

This year, we…

• Hosted five Ask The Expert sessions and seven webinars, drawing almost 1,500 participants for topics that included self-care, tobacco use among rural firefighters, and holistic approaches to tobacco treatment.

• Traveled to Los Angeles, Orange, and Shasta Counties to deliver CaCTC’s Behavioral Health Regional Training to over 160 providers, advocates, and leaders. Our attendees learned key skills to treat tobacco dependence and center tobacco-free recovery within behavioral health facilities and services.

• Hosted two Tobacco Treatment Specialist Trainings, successfully educating over 50 new tobacco treatment specialists. Attendees learned up-to-date, evidence-based strategies for working with individuals with tobacco dependence. 

• Provided more than 150 CME/CEU certificates, creating ample opportunity for continuing education and reducing knowledge barriers.

• Launched an updated Vaping Cessation Factsheet, full of practical steps providers can take to help patients.

• Continued our work with partners including Kick It California, CA QUITS, RISE, The LOOP, the Latino Coordinating Council, the California National Alliance for Mental Illness, and the Department of Health Care Services, allowing us to reach a broad and diverse audience.

Looking Ahead

There’s so much to look forward to in the year ahead. Keep your eyes peeled for CaCTC’s 2026 offerings:

• We've already started to plan our 2026 Ask the Expert sessions! In January, we will be discussing best practices for implementing AB 541 and in February we’ll be learning about Community Health Workers and Tobacco Cessation. Then in March, we’ll hear from experts about the ACT Now Project. We can’t wait for you to join these discussions.

• The ‘It’s About a Billion Lives’ Annual Symposium will take place April 17 at the UCSF Mission Bay campus. This flagship event, co-hosted with the Center for Tobacco Research and Education, explores the latest trends and research shaping the future of tobacco control. 

• Attention Gold Country! We're hosting our next Behavioral Health Regional Training in Sacramento on March 26.

• CaCTC will be hosting two Tobacco Treatment Specialist opportunities: one virtual Train the Trainer in Tobacco Treatment March 10-11 and one in-person Tobacco Treatment Specialist training April 28-30. Our newsletter subscribers will be the first to know when registration opens!

• We’re in the process of updating our Tobacco-free Toolkit for Behavioral Health Agencies to incorporate an intersectional framework.

CaCTC was founded to support the tobacco endgame movement by partnering with communities across California in the fight against commercial tobacco use. Our 2025 successes highlight the meaningful impact we’re creating with our partners, collaborators, and supporters.

Thank you for engaging with us—whether by attending our webinars and trainings, reading our newsletters, joining us at our in-person events, or requesting technical assistance. We truly value your input, so please keep sharing your comments, topic ideas, perspectives, and partnering with us for technical assistance. Your feedback helps shape our work and drives our mission forward. Knowing that our efforts are helping so many on their journey to a tobacco-free life is deeply rewarding, and it wouldn’t be possible without your support.

See you in the new year!

Warm Regards,

The CaCTC team (Maya, Catherine, Jessica, Christine, Jennifer, Brian, Maria, and Stephanie)

CaCTC.UCSF.EDU