Pre-Conference Workshops

16th Annual Meeting
February 24-27, 2010
Hilton Baltimore Hotel
Baltimore, Maryland USA

All pre-conference workshops will be held on Wednesday, February 24 from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Pre-registration and payment is required.

Pre-Conference Workshop 1

Research Needs Relevant to US FDA Legislative Authority to Regulate Tobacco Products

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In June 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration was granted authority to regulate tobacco products with the passage of the “Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.” A scientific review of the literature relevant to provisions in the legislation was undertaken by experts in the field of nicotine and tobacco research in order to develop research priorities. An overview of provisions of the legislation will be provided and summaries will be presented to address what the regulation provides, regulation history (if applicable), a summary of the science, and research opportunities. The seven topic areas include: Product Standards, Product Testing (including modified risk products, medications used to treat tobacco dependence, menthol, and consumer perception testing), Product Marketing and Sales, Labeling, Disclosures, Postmarket Surveillance, and Youth Tobacco Use (including retail sales to minors, raising the minimum age, and free sampling). Research coordination, integration, and infrastructure will be discussed, as well as potential funding opportunities. Participants will be asked to provide additional research needs and discuss priorities in a broader research context. This pre-conference workshop is co-sponsored by the Tobacco Control Research Branch, National Cancer Institute and the Schroeder Institute, American Legacy Foundation.

Pre-Conference Workshop 2

Cultural Tailoring of Smoking Cessation Interventions for Minority Racial/Ethnic and Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) Populations

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The 2008 Clinical Practice Guidelines on Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence and 2006 National Institutes of Health State of the Science Meeting on Tobacco Control clearly state that there is a need to investigate what works for vulnerable populations and determine the effectiveness of culturally-tailored and generic interventions on quitting, which will ultimately reduce chronic disease and healthcare costs. This workshop will 1) provide an epidemiological overview of smoking and quitting behaviors among African-Americans, Latinos/Hispanics, American-Indians, Alaska-Natives, Asian-Americans and Pacific-Islanders, and LGBT populations; 2) examine definitions and measures of cultural tailoring; 3) show how quantitative and qualitative methods can be used to integrate cultural constructs into theoretical frameworks applied in intervention development; 4) examine the associations between cultural tailoring and cessation beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors; and 5) provide examples of how cultural tailoring impacts reach, demand, recruitment and retention. Tobacco control researchers and experts from other health areas will provide field examples on the role of cultural tailoring in behavioral interventions. Breakout groups will use case studies to increase participant knowledge on how to culturally tailor intervention methods. An open forum will provide participants an opportunity to discuss the implications of research on practice, future directions for research, and strategies for implementing research. The workshop will increase our understanding of cultural tailoring, build skills to implement cultural tailoring, and increase networking among persons interested in cultural tailoring.

Pre-Conference Workshop 3

New Frontiers in Measurement: Phenotypes, Endophenotypes, and Envirotypes for Genetic and Behavioral Studies of Nicotine Dependence

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The National Institutes of Health has launched a number of initiatives with significant implications for the next generation of research, both for behavioral medicine broadly defined as well as the study of nicotine use and dependence. These initiatives will provide tools to transform many aspects of behavioral research including gene by environment (GxE) studies. The goal of this workshop is to showcase the findings, recommendations, and new technologies from these initiatives, as well as to explore the issues that confront the science with an eye toward informing future initiatives. Sessions will include discussions of key theoretical and methodological issues, dissemination of measurement advances, and a hands-on demonstration of the next generation of measurement technology, which can be applied to both genetic and behavioral studies of nicotine use and dependence.

Trans-NIH efforts to be highlighted include:

• The NCI Monograph Phenotypes and Endophenotypes: Foundations for Genetic Studies
• The NIH Genes, Environment and Health Initiative (GEI), http://www.gei.nih.gov/
• The NHGRI Initiative, Consensus Measures for Phenotypes and eXposures (PhenX), http://www.phenx.org/

Sponsored by the NCI Tobacco Control Research Branch and the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

Pre-Conference Workshop 4

What Do Animal Models Tell Us About Drug Abuse and its Treatment?

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Drug addiction is a complex biobehavioral phenomenon with great financial and emotional costs to society and the individual. Animal studies provide controlled model systems that enable us to extrapolate biological contributions to behaviors relevant to drug abuse in humans. This transdisciplinary workshop will explore the neurochemical and molecular contributions to drug reward, withdrawal, tolerance, and sensitization. In exploring biological systems that control behaviors relevant to drug addiction, these presentations will identify potential biological targets for the treatment of addiction and related illness.