Til death do us part: Seeking an end to America's turbulent love affair with the cigarette

Speaker:
Kenneth E. Warner Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor of Public Health and Professor of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan School of Public Health

About the lecture:
The anti-smoking campaign has been arguably the most effective public health initiative in the U.S. in the past half century. Still, smoking remains the nation's leading cause of preventable disease and premature death. This presentation will review the policy measures that have contributed to the successes of tobacco control, noting the central role of state and local policies. Attention then turns to why continued use of evidence-based policies – while essential – will not be enough to "solve" the public health problem of smoking. The decades-old decline in smoking prevalence has stalled, prompting calls for an "endgame," the adoption of radical novel policies that might dramatically reduce smoking and its toll. The presentation concludes with a discussion of endgame policies and contemplates their potential for adoption and implementation.

About the presenter:
Kenneth E. Warner is the Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor of Public Health and Professor of Health Management and Policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health (UM SPH). A member of the faculty since 1972, he served as Dean from 2005-10. His research has focused on economic and policy aspects of tobacco control. Dr. Warner served as the World Bank's representative to negotiations on the first global health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. He also served as the Senior Scientific Editor of the 25th anniversary Surgeon General's report on smoking and health, and as a member of the original Board of Directors of the American Legacy Foundation. He was the founding Director of the University of Michigan Tobacco Research Network. A member of the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Warner is a recipient of the Surgeon General's Medallion, a Luther Terry Award, and many other awards and honors.

Sponsored by:
University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)

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