When: June 12–14, 2006
Where: NIH Campus, Natcher Conference Center, Bethesda, MD
Institute: National Cancer Institute (NCI), Office of Medical Applications of Research (OMAR)

Tobacco use remains the nation’s leading preventable cause of premature death. More than 440,000 Americans die each year from disease caused by tobacco use, accounting for one in every five deaths. Cigarette smoking alone is responsible for more than 30% of cancer deaths annually in the United States, and smoking is also an important cause of death from heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

A better understanding of how effective strategies for prevention and treatment can be developed and implemented across diverse segments of the population is crucial to accelerating progress. For this reason, the NCI and OMAR will sponsor a State-of-the-Science Conference on Tobacco Use: Prevention, Cessation, and Control. Key questions to be discussed at the conference include:

• What are the effective population- and community-based interventions to prevent tobacco use in adolescents and young adults, including among diverse populations?
• What are the effective strategies for increasing the implementation of proven population-level tobacco-use cessation strategies, particularly by healthcare systems and communities?
• What research is needed to make the most progress and greatest public health gains nationally and internationally?

Invited experts will present information pertinent to these questions. Attendees will have ample time to ask questions and provide statements during open discussion periods. After weighing the scientific evidence, an independent panel will prepare and present a state-of-the-science statement. The panel will also hold a press conference to answer questions from the media. The draft statement will be published online later that day, and the final version will be released approximately six weeks later.

This conference is intended for researchers interested in tobacco prevention, cessation, and control; health care professionals; health care system professionals; health policy experts; public health practitioners; and interested members of the public.

Next Steps
Visit the conference Web site at http://consensus.nih.gov/2006/2006TobaccoSOS029html.htm to view the agenda and other important details.

Attendance is free, but advance registration is recommended. You can register online at www.meetinglink.org/OMAR_new/tobacco/registration.htm.

You can also call toll-free 1-888-644-2667 or send an e-mail to tobaccoUse@air.org for more information.

If you are unable to attend in person, you can watch the proceedings live via the Internet at http://videocast.nih.gov, or go to www.meetinglink.org/OMAR_new/tobacco/registration_so1.htm to pre-order a final statement.

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