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CENTURY
Yale University
School of Medicine
SAC-203
Connecticut
Mental Health Center
34 Park Street
New Haven, CT 06519

Phone:
203-974-7591

Fax:
203-974-7606

E-mail:
infocentury@yale.edu

CENTURY/TTURC Press Release

New Haven, Conn. - Two grants from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) totaling $1.65 million will allow the Center for Nicotine and Tobacco Use Research at Yale (CENTURY) to conduct research on tobacco-related policy issues and communicate findings. Policy applicability and communication to relevant audiences is central to the RWJF funding.

The lead researcher on the grant is, Jody L. Sindelar, Ph.D., an associate professor, division of Health Policy & Administration in the School of Public Health at Yale University. She says that the research will provide a basis for developing public and private policies regarding tobacco control. "The communications unit will help us to make our findings known to policy-makers, smokers, and other decision-makers. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's emphasis on communication paired with research is quite rare in the funding world, "she said. "This will increase the chances that our work will have impact."

Yale investigators and Sindelar, who specializes in applying economic principles to health issues, will undertake three main projects as part of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant. One project will analyze the impact of smoking on worker productivity. Another will conduct an economic evaluation of a new smoking cessation treatment being developed at CENTURY. And a third project will examine the role that life changes have on decisions for older individuals to quit smoking.

Tracy Falba, a co-principal investigator on the grant, emphasizes the importance of studying this group of older smokers. "As people age, the effects of smoking become more prevalent. Because of this and other life changes, older individuals may find new motivation to quit smoking. Importantly, even at older ages, the benefits to quitting can be immense. This research will help to get policies and treatments in place to improve the health of the elderly."

These projects will benefit from being part of CENTURY. CENTURY's research ranges from basic science and clinical trials to policy and communications. Thus, for example, the study of productivity will rely on information gained from animal and imaging studies to better understand the pathways whereby nicotine affects the brain and thus productivity.

Sindelar's current research interests focus on economic issues of substance abuse. Specifically, she has analyzed topics such as: lost productivity associated with alcoholism, crime and illicit drugs, and drug treatment as social policy. She has several other ongoing studies funded by NIDA. Sindelar is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

CENTURY was formed through collaboration of NIDA, NCI, and RWJF.

The School of Public Health at Yale University provides leadership to protect and improve the health of the public. Through innovative research, policy analysis, and education, the school serves local, national, and international communities with its knowledge and expertise.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. Its mission is to improve the health and health care of all Americans. One of the Foundation's four grant-making priorities is to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse - including tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs.