Pres Release
May 29, 2007
Contact: Jerry Carey
Phone: (856) 566-6171
careyge@umdnj.edu
Officials to attend Open House at Tobacco Dependence Program on May 30
Event marks observance of World No Tobacco Day
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NEW BRUNSWICK — State and local elected officials along with area health officers have been invited to attend an open house on Wednesday, May 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Tobacco Dependence Program, at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health, 317 George St., Suite 210, in New Brunswick. During the program, which is being held to coincide with World No Tobacco Day, officials from the Tobacco Dependence Program will provide an overview of their services, tours of the facility and results of recent research by program staff. Former smokers who successfully quit with the help of the Tobacco Dependence Program will also be on hand to share personal stories of their struggles with tobacco addiction.
The Tobacco Dependence Program (http://www.tobaccoprogram.org/) at the UMDNJ-School of Public Health is at the center of New Jersey’s efforts to battle the ill effects of tobacco addiction. In addition to treating tobacco dependence at its New Brunswick location, the Tobacco Dependence Program provides training and technical assistance to staff members at all of the New Jersey Quitcenters throughout the state.
“The Tobacco Dependence Program provides expertise on quitting smoking for those who need it most, through education, treatment, research and advocacy,” said Dr. Jonathan Foulds, director of the Tobacco Dependence Program. “Since we first opened our doors in 2001, we’ve provided smoking cessation treatment for over 3,000 smokers at our New Brunswick location, trained more 3,000 health professionals and school staff and published over 70 papers on tobacco in medical and scientific journals.”
Among the recent research from the Tobacco Dependence Programs are findings on new evidence that minorities and young people are becoming more addicted to menthol cigarettes; misconceptions and misuse of over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy; and surprising findings on the relative safety of a specific form of smokeless tobacco.
For more information on the May 30 program, contact Jyoti Dasika, at 732-235-8215 or dasikajy@umdnj.edu.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) is the nation's largest free-standing public health sciences university with more than 5,500 students attending the state's three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, a school of health related professions, a school of nursing and its only school of public health, on five campuses. Last year, there were more than two million patient visits to UMDNJ facilities and faculty at campuses in Newark, New Brunswick/Piscataway, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ operates University Hospital, a Level I Trauma Center in Newark, and University Behavioral HealthCare, a mental health and addiction services network.
