Expert Available for Comment on Great American Smokeout

The Great American Smokeout, an initiative of the American Cancer Society, is Nov. 17. More than 8,000 Arizonans die from smoking each year and thousands more live with a smoking-related illness. Nationally, smoking contributes to more than 480,000 deaths annually.

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Judith Gordon, PhD, professor, associate dean for research and executive director for research initiatives in the University of Arizona College of Nursing, a part of the UArizona Health Sciences, is available for comment on smoking-related issues and on ongoing research that seeks to understand how to help people quit.

“Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of disease and death in the United States,” Dr. Gordon said. “There are still millions of smokers in the U.S. If you can help those people stop smoking, you’re going to greatly improve their health and well-being and the health and well-being of people who are exposed to secondhand tobacco smoke. There is enormous potential for improving public health.”

Dr. Gordon leads the Be Smoke Free study, which is funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, a division of the National Institutes of Health. Her areas of expertise include:

• public health tobacco cessation interventions delivered in dental and medical settings
• self-help tobacco cessation programs
• educational tobacco cessation programs for health care practitioners
• computer-based tobacco prevention programs
• multi-behavioral interventions to address weight, physical activity and tobacco
• the use of mobile health technologies for lifestyle change and medication adherence.

To arrange an interview with Dr. Gordon, please contact Will Holst at 520-626-2512 or wholst@email.arizona.edu.