Office on Smoking and Health (OSH)
Organization
Organizational Chart
OSH has a staff of about 145 people and an annual budget of approximately
$100 million. Every year OSH distributes about 75 percent of these funds
extramurally to support tobacco control initiatives.
OSH comprises seven major organizational units: the Office of the Director;
Policy, Planning, and Coordination Unit; Resource Management Unit; Global
Tobacco Control Unit; Epidemiology Branch; Health Communications Branch; and
Program Services Branch.
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Content of chart
Office of the Director
- Matthew T. McKenna, M.D., M.P.H., Director
- Lorna English, M.S., Deputy Director
- Terry Pechacek, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science
- Bridgette Garrett, Ph.D., Advisor for Health Disparities
- Patty McLean, MEd., Advisor for Strategic and Organization Development
Policy, Planning, and Coordination Unit
- Sherrill Brady, B.S.N., Acting Associate Director
- Gabbi Promoff, M.A., Acting Team Lead, Planning Team (ATL)
- Simon McNabb, B.A. Senior Policy Advisor (DC)
Resource Management Unit
- Cynthia N. Johnson, Administrative Officer
Global Tobacco Control Unit
- Samira Asma, D.D.S., M.P.H., Associate Director
- Kristen McCall, M.P.A., Acting Deputy Director
Health Communications Branch
- Dana Shelton, M.P.H., Acting Branch Chief
- Steve DePaul, B.A., Deputy Branch Chief
- Vacant, Senior Scientific Advisor
- Patti, Seikus, M.P.H., Team Lead, Information Resources
- Maria Rivera-Trudeau, M.B.A., Team Lead, Development/Implementation
Epidemiology Branch
- Ralph Carabello, Ph.D., Branch Chief
- Wayne Stephens, Ph.D., Deputy Branch Chief
- Ann Malarcher, Ph.D., Senior Scientific Advisor
- Martha Engstrom, M.S., Team Lead, Evaluation
- Shanta Dube, Ph.D., Team Lead, Analytic Research & Surveillance
- Patricia Richter, Ph.D., Team Lead, Research Development
Program Services Branch
- Brick Lancaster, M.A., CHES, Branch Chief
- Chris Benjamin, J.D., M.P.A., Deputy Branch Chief
- Monica Eischen, B.S., Team Lead, Team A
- Kevin Collins, Ph.D., Team Lead, Team B
Branches and Units
Office of the Director
The Office of the Director is responsible for providing broad leadership and direction for all scientific,
policy, and programmatic issues related to tobacco control and use prevention.
The Associate Director for Science provides broad scientific direction to OSH programs and supervises the
development of Surgeon General's reports on smoking and health.
The Office of the Director houses the following units: Policy, Planning, and Coordination Unit; Resource
Management Unit; and Global Tobacco Control Unit.
Policy, Planning, and Coordination Unit
The Policy, Planning, and Coordination Unit, within the Office of the
Director, coordinates policy and legislative activities for OSH. The
unit's functions include—
- Monitoring and analyzing legislation and policy
documents.
- Conducting environmental/political scans, identifying policy options,
and implementing outreach/education efforts on policy issues.
- Serving as liaison to CDC/OD and NCCDPHP/OD
coordinating policy activities and responding to requests. Also
serving as a liaison to OSH branches on policy issues.
- Conducting performance measurement activities, which
include overseeing the development of Government Performance and Results
Act (GPRA) measures and coordinating tobacco-related Healthy People
objectives.
Resource Management Unit
Overview
The Resource Management Unit is responsible for managing the internal
resources of OSH and the day-to-day administrative operations related to
human resources, financial management, travel, procurement, facilities, and
property management.
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The Resource Management Unit, which is within the Office of the Director,
coordinates support services that allow OSH to function smoothly. The
unit’s functions include—
- Providing office support, including processing
business/supply request forms, supervising travel requests and time
sheets, and assisting with personnel matters.
- Ensuring OSH’s compliance with HHS, CDC, and NCCDPHP
policies and procedures.
- Handling all issues related to records management,
including the Freedom of Information Act and all Department of Justice
matters.
- Managing OSH budget.
Global Tobacco Control Unit
Overview
Responsible for fostering global tobacco control initiatives by expanding
the science base through surveillance and research, building capacity,
promoting information exchange, and sharing expertise.
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The objectives for the Global Tobacco Control Unit are to—
- Strengthen global tobacco surveillance
- Promote the dissemination and translation of data to
action
- Build and maintain strategic partnerships to leverage
resources for efficient and sustainable tobacco control activities
To achieve these objectives, the Global Tobacco Control Unit works
through bilateral or multilateral partnerships and with health ministries
and international agencies throughout the world.
Surveillance
The Global Tobacco Control Unit collaborates with the World Health
Organization (WHO) and WHO regional offices on a global tobacco surveillance
system (GTSS), which currently comprises three major activities: the Global
Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), the Global School Personnel Survey (GSPS), and
the Global Health Professions Student Survey (GHPSS).
The three components of GTSS uses consistent survey designs and
data-processing methodologies. This consistency allows changes to be
monitored over time and program effects to be measured in a standardized way
across the countries, regions, and the world.
GTSS is a successful example of monitoring tobacco use among youth and
selected adult populations. The GTSS provides significant data to inform
comprehensive global health promotion approaches to tobacco use prevention
and control.
Research
The Global Tobacco Control Unit collaborates with other executive
agencies to produce country reports, which document the national tobacco
situation and control measures.
The Global Tobacco Control Unit also collaborates with partners to
develop a series of published reports on products such as bidis, kreteks,
and water pipes in order to address the lack of information available on
novel tobacco products.
Partnerships
The Global Tobacco Control Unit partners with governments and an array of
international agencies and institutions to leverage resources for mutually
shared objectives to promote comprehensive tobacco prevention and control
programs and policies. Partners include WHO headquarters and its regional
offices—specifically, the African Regional Office (AFR), Eastern
Mediterranean Regional Office (EMR), European Regional Office (EUR),
Region of the Americas (AMR), Southeast Asia Regional Office (SEAR),
and Western Pacific Regional Offices (WPR)—as well as the World Bank, the
International Union for Health Promotion and Education, the International
Union for Cancer Control, the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and the
Canadian Public Health Association. CDC is also a WHO Collaborating Center
on Global Tobacco Control and works with Mexico through the U.S.–Mexico
Binational Commission.
Health Communications Branch
Overview
The Health Communications Branch is responsible for (a) keeping the
public, policy makers, health professionals, and partners informed of
developments and initiatives related to tobacco control and (b) promoting
positive changes regarding health behaviors, practices, and policies.
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The Health Communications Branch serves as a primary resource for tobacco
and health information. The branch develops and distributes
information about tobacco and health to the public, professionals, various
branches of government, and other interested groups nationwide using a wide
array of formats and media channels. Communication campaigns and
activities include—
- Tracking TV and print news media coverage of
tobacco-related stories.
- Designing, developing, and maintaining various
tobacco-related databases.
- Providing inquiry response and referral services.
- Disseminating messages and materials in support of
Surgeon General’s reports.
- Developing and distributing publications.
- Providing exhibit support services.
- Managing the Tobacco Information Prevention Source Web
site.
- Developing and implementing a single source for
credible cessation and quitline materials.
- Supporting Media Campaign Resource Center sources and
activities.
- Coordinating monthly Media Network calls and monthly
newsletters.
- Coordinating special communications projects.
- Providing technical assistance and support to
international tobacco-control programs.
Epidemiology Branch
Overview
The Epidemiology Branch is responsible for conducting and coordinating
research, surveillance, and evaluation activities related to the health
effects of tobacco use. The branch provides technical assistance to states,
territories, national networks, and Tribal Support Centers on surveillance
and evaluation methods, including working with programs to conduct the Youth
Tobacco Survey (YTS) and Adult Tobacco Survey (ATS).
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The Epidemiology Branch mission is to advance the science base of tobacco
control through a multidisciplinary program of applied research,
surveillance, and evaluation. The Epidemiology Branch goal is to reduce the
burden of disease through the synthesis and translation of research into
practice and the dissemination of scientific findings.
Surveillance
The Epidemiology Branch assesses, improves and expands surveillance at
the international, national, state, and local levels; the branch also
synthesizes, translates and disseminates the results.
Research
The Epidemiology Branch assesses, improves and expands applied research
on tobacco and tobacco control; the branch also synthesizes, translates and
disseminates the results.
Evaluation
The Epidemiology Branch assesses, improves and expands evaluation of
tobacco control programs at the international, national, state, and local
levels; the branch also synthesizes, translates and disseminates the
results.
Strategies
The Epidemiology Branch—
- Conducts laboratory activities and epidemiologic
surveillance, research, and field investigations related to tobacco use
prevention and control.
- Provides technical and scientific assistance to
researchers, health departments, and other health professionals
interested in performing specialized data collecting or analysis
relating to smoking, other tobacco use, health effects, and program
evaluation.
- Monitors trends in tobacco use prevalence as well as in
the economic costs, morbidity, and mortality attributable to tobacco
use.
- Conducts joint projects with federal agencies,
voluntary organizations, local and state health departments, foreign
ministries of health, and others involved in tobacco use prevention and
control.
- Conducts economic studies on a variety of tobacco
issues, including taxation and health care costs.
Program Services Branch
Overview
The Program Services Branch is responsible for (a) directing and managing
the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP) and other extramural activities
to address tobacco use and (b) providing and supporting training and
technical assistance to 50 states, the District of Columbia, seven U.S.
territories, eight national networks, and seven tribal support centers. OSH
participated in CDC's grant consolidation and streamlining effort by
including NTCP funding as a component of the Chronic Disease and Health
Promotion program announcement. This tobacco component emphasizes
policy-focused interventions and contains 11 performance measures that will
help states achieve short-term, intermediate, and long-term outcomes. The
program also encourages states to use key indicators to measure progress
toward achieving the goals outlined in their annual action plans.
Mission, Goals, and Objectives
The mission of the Program Services Branch is to expand and enhance the
implementation of effective tobacco use prevention and control
interventions. The branch fulfills this mission by working with state
health departments, national organizations, and national and federal
partners to build capacity to support successful interventions to reduce and
prevent tobacco use. The branch’s responsibilities include—
- Providing technical assistance.
- Monitoring NTCP performance and progress.
- Designing and maintaining an online state progress
reporting system.
- Conducting semiannual site visits to participating
programs.
- Developing training programs and offering training
opportunities at the national and regional levels.
- Administering, implementing, and evaluating
supplemental awards activities (i.e., disparities training and quitline
activities).
Page last modified 02/09/2009