SCLC Communiqué Newsletter

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Spring 2025

Features

It's About A Billion Lives 2025 Symposium Recap

On Friday, April 11th, 2025, the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education and the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center welcomed over 350 attendees to the 19th annual It’s About a Billion Lives Symposium. The full-day event brought together leading voices in tobacco control and archival work for a dynamic program of keynote talks, research presentations, and an engaging poster session.

This year’s symposium spotlighted two themes: the urgent need to eliminate menthol to reduce health disparities in African American communities, and the growing role of archives and storytelling in shaping public health narratives. Highlights included keynote presentations by Robert Proctor, PhD, Valerie Yerger, ND, and Yolanda C. Richardson, JD, MPH, whose insights sparked conversations on menthol and evidence-based action. Afternoon sessions, including a discussion on the intersection of tobacco, marketing, and media by Robert K. Jackler, MD and Peter Kovacs, PhD, and a panel discussion on the importance of storytelling in harm reduction communities, engaged participants in important discussions on both how to use archival research to help amplify voices through community storytelling.

This year, we saw over 700 registrations and an almost 50% increase in attendees from 2024. Thanks to the hard work of the SCLC and CTCRE teams, our fantastic presenters, and attentive audience, we had an incredible time at this year’s It’s About a Billion Lives Symposium! We’re already looking forward to next year.

A recording of the Symposium will be available on the SCLC and CTCRE websites in the coming weeks.

Announcements

Project ENGAGE

Are you a TTS looking to increase your knowledge? Join over 700 healthcare professionals who have already taken advantage of Project ENGAGE’s free, accredited online course on lung cancer screening. Tobacco Treatment Specialists will learn strategies to confidently educate eligible clients about lung cancer screening. Learn more and register at https://lungscreeneducation.org

New SCLC Paper Publication

A new paper titled “Tobacco treatment and policies in mental health and substance use treatment facilities in the US” was recently published in the June 2025 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, MAS, Director of the Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, is a co-author. This paper estimates latest prevalence of, and factors associated with, tobacco treatment provision and tobacco-free grounds policies in mental health and substance use treatment facilities. The full paper can be read online here.

Turn Smoke Breaks into Wellness Breaks on World No Tobacco Day!

Want to be featured across our communications channels? We have a challenge for you! World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is coming up on May 31st. This year, in honor of WNTD, we're challenging our behavioral health partners to drive change from within their own networks by turning smoke breaks into wellness breaks. Whether it’s an afternoon group walk, mindfulness session, or setting up a smoothie bar, wellness breaks are a great way to recharge while also promoting health and well-being. Whether it’s for your staff or clients, reframing language around breaks is a small but powerful step we can take toward reducing smoking and promoting healthier routines.

We want to hear how your organization has been making the shift towards tobacco-free grounds. What will you be doing this World No Tobacco Day? Reply to this email and let us know- we will be featuring the most creative ideas on our social media channels and newsletters. Pics are welcome!

Supreme Court Upholds Flavored E-Cigarette Ban

This month the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the FDA’s decision to prohibit two e-cigarette companies from marketing and selling their flavored e-liquids. The court ruled that the FDA had lawfully rejected applications of flavored e-liquids including “Rainbow Road” “Suicide Bunny Mother’s Milk and Cookies,” “Iced Blackberry Lemonade,” and “Blueberry Parfait” because the companies did not offer “robust and reliable evidence” that their dessert-, candy-, and fruit-flavored products had benefits over tobacco-flavored product. The full court decision can be found here.

New Public Health Communications Collaborative Resource

A new resource from the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC) titled "A Quick Guide to Public Health Misinformation." This guide helps public health communicators recognize misinformation and respond effectively. It provides actionable approaches for countering false claims with messaging that is clear, factual, and easy to understand. It’s an adaption of the comprehensive misinformation guide misinformation guide developed by PHCC in collaboration with the Infodemiology Training Program in 2024. Check it out today!

New Tips from a Former Smoker Story

Tips from Former Smokers, a CDC campaign featuring real stories about the serious long-term health effects from smoking and secondhand smoke exposure from the people who have lived it, recently released a new story from Anna G. She discusses how quitting smoking enriched her life, even leading her to become a tobacco treatment specialist. Read more about Anna G’s story here.

Upcoming Events

The National Conference on Tobacco or Health 2025 Conference

The National Conference on Tobacco or Health (NCTOH) will take place August 26-28th in Chicago. NCTOH is the largest, long-standing gatherings for top United States tobacco control professionals. The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center will be presenting one poster and leading one panel discussion during the conference. Will we see you there?

For more information, including how to register, please visit the NCTOH website.

Tools and Resources

Thinking about thinking about going tobacco-free? Find out what stage of change your facility is at with our interactive online Tobacco-free Toolkit for Behavioral Health Agencies

The Smoking Cessation Leadership Center has developed a small, plastic card the size of a credit card to help promote the national quitline. Providers can request FREE Quit Now Cards to filling out this form- limit 250 cards per order. Quit Line Card Submission Form

Did you know we have toolkits, infographics, online curriculum and more? Find what you need under Resources on our website.

Explore our Affiliated Centers at UCSF

The Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education (CTCRE) is also a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre on Tobacco Control. CTCRE carries out their work through rigorous and relevant research that reaches policymakers and the public.

The UCSF Fontana Tobacco Treatment Center offers classes as well as individual consultations with health care professionals trained in treating tobacco addiction. Fontana helps individuals who use tobacco – including cigarettes, vapes and smokeless tobacco – maximize their chances of quitting for good.