NIH State-Of-The-Science Conference: Tobacco Use: Prevention, Cessation and Control

Annually, more than 440,000 Americans die from diseases related to tobacco use. In addition to its effects on human lives, tobacco use also places an enormous economic burden on society. Between 1995 and 1999, annual costs were $75.5 billion for direct medical care (adults) and $81.9 billion for lost productivity.  Experts in the field will assess the latest evidence on this topic at a State-of-the-Science Conference on Tobacco Use:  Prevention, Cessation, and Control, convened by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Office of Medical Applications of Research (OMAR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This free 3-day conference will be held from June 12 to 14, 2006 on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.

NCI and OMAR have planned this upcoming conference to stimulate a critical review of the available evidence, and to identify directions for future research. Presentations will be made from recognized experts in the field on how effective prevention and treatment strategies can be developed and implemented across diverse segments of the population. Attendees will have an opportunity to participate and present their own information in open public discussions.  This will help assess how effective prevention and treatment strategies can be developed and implemented across diverse segments of the population. After weighing the scientific evidence, an independent and unbiased panel will prepare and present a State-of-the-Science statement addressing the key conference questions.  The draft statement will be published online later that day, and the final version will be released approximately six weeks later.  For more information on this free conference and to register online, please visit www.consensus.nih.gov.