To address this growing public health crisis, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) held a congressional briefing on Wednesday, June 12, in Washington, D.C., where experts discussed the surge in e-cigarette use in middle and high school students.
A video of the full briefing is available here.
The briefing updated the public on what health officials are calling the "epidemic" of youth vaping and addressed the latest in e-cigarette usage trends, current scientific data regarding their harm to youth and potential benefits to adult smokers, and prevention and cessation strategies. Panelists also discussed efforts to curb tobacco use by youth and young adults.
The panel featured members of congress along with health experts offering a wide range of expertise in the fields of cancer research, tobacco policy, and behavioral health. Speakers included:
- Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois)
- Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia)
- Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), Chief Executive Officer, American Association for Cancer Research
- Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, Chair, Tobacco Products and Cancer Subcommittee, American Association for Cancer Research; Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center
- Mitch Zeller, JD, Director, U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Tobacco Products
- Brian A. King, PhD, MPH, Deputy Director, Research Translation, Office on Smoking and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Rachel Grana Mayne, PhD, MPH, Program Director, Tobacco Control Research Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
- Suchitra Krishnan-Sarin, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
- Michael Reles, Vice Chair, Advisory Commission on Youth, Loudoun County, Virginia