AGENDA 2026
We are delighted to publish the provisional agenda and speakers for the 10th annual Summit and the first Nicotine Summit US. We will be updating the program regularly over the next couple of weeks, so please check back regularly.
If you cannot join us in Washington but would like to participate virtually, the Summit will be live-streamed according to the agenda (US EST). Individual videos of speaker presentations and panel discussions will be added to the Summit app within 48 hours of the live event, allowing delegates to watch or re-watch on demand later. The app will be available to all registered delegates for 3 months following the event.
SESSION 1: NICOTINE & TOBACCO POLICY
8:15 am - 8:20 am
Welcome & introductions from the Summit chair (AM)
Chair
Prof Thomas J. Glynn, PhD Adjunct Lecturer - Stanford Prevention Research Centre, Stanford University School of Medicine
8:20 am - 8:50 am
OPENING KEYNOTE ADDRESS & CONVERSATION
Speaker
Dr. Bret Koplow Acting Director - Center for Tobacco Products - FDA - U.S. Food & Drug Administration
8:50 am - 9:05 am
Pharmacology and toxicology of nicotine, implications for public health
Speaker
Prof Neal L. Benowitz MD Professor of Medicine Emeritus (Active) - University of California, San Franciso
9:05 am - 9:20 am
Capturing total nicotine exposure in a multi-product landscape using Nicotine Product Days (NPDs)
Speaker
Dr Ruoyan Sun Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy & Organization - School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham
9:20 am - 9:35 am
The harmfulness and the addictiveness of nicotine products: Two separate but related constructs
Speaker
Prof Jonathan Foulds Professor Department of Public Health Sciences Division of Health Services and Behavioral Research - Penn State Center for Research on Tobacco and Health
9:35 am - 9:50 am
A clash between two absolutist narratives: How to define success and set priorities
Speaker
Prof Robin Mermelstein Distinguished Professor of Psychology and IHRP Director - University of Illinois, Chicago
9:50 am - 10:15 am
Panel Discussion and Q&A: What are the public health goals and priorities?
Chair
Prof Thomas J. Glynn, PhD Adjunct Lecturer - Stanford Prevention Research Centre, Stanford University School of Medicine
Speakers
Prof Neal L. Benowitz MD Professor of Medicine Emeritus (Active) - University of California, San Franciso
Dr Ruoyan Sun Assistant Professor, Department of Health Policy & Organization - School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Prof Jonathan Foulds Professor Department of Public Health Sciences Division of Health Services and Behavioral Research - Penn State Center for Research on Tobacco and Health
Prof Robin Mermelstein Distinguished Professor of Psychology and IHRP Director - University of Illinois, Chicago
Guest Panelist
Skip Murray Volunteer - Public Health Advocate
10:15 am - 10:35 am
AM REFRESHMENT BREAK
SESSION 2: NICOTINE, INDUSTRY & SOCIETY
10:35 am - 10:50 am
Comprehensive is key: Considerations for an optimally regulated tobacco market in the United States
Speaker
Dr Brian King Executive Vice President, U.S. Tobacco Control - Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
10:50 am - 11:05 am
New Zealand, an inconvenient success story
Speaker
Ben Youdan Director - ASH New Zealand
11:05 am - 11:20 am
Nicotine & tobacco policy in the 21st century: An evidence-based approach
Speaker
Associate Prof Abigail Friedman Associate Professor of Health Policy & Faculty Director of Online and Non-Degree Programming - Dept of Health Policy & Management, Yale School of Public Health
11:20 am - 11:35 am
The tobacco/nicotine continuum of risk – e-cigarette harm perceptions and communication considerations
Speaker
Dr Olivia Wackowski, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy - Rutgers University
11:35 am - 11:50 am
The impact of industry behavior in US nicotine-delivery product markets on the use of nicotine-delivery products
Speaker
Prof David Levy Professor of Oncology - Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University
11:50 am - 12:05 pm
Characterising researchers’ relationships with nicotine, tobacco and vaping organisations
Speaker
Dr Sharon Cox Principal Research Fellow, Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, University College London (UCL) - Deputy Director, Behavioural Research UK
12:05 pm - 12:35 pm
Panel Discussion and Q&A: What are the measures of success and/or failure of tobacco regulatory policies?
Chair
Prof Thomas J. Glynn, PhD Adjunct Lecturer - Stanford Prevention Research Centre, Stanford University School of Medicine
Speakers
Dr Brian King Executive Vice President, U.S. Tobacco Control - Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Ben Youdan Director - ASH New Zealand
Associate Prof Abigail Friedman Associate Professor of Health Policy & Faculty Director of Online and Non-Degree Programming - Dept of Health Policy & Management, Yale School of Public Health
Prof David Levy Professor of Oncology - Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University
Dr Olivia Wackowski, PhD, MPH Associate Professor, Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy - Rutgers University
Dr Sharon Cox Principal Research Fellow, Tobacco and Alcohol Research Group, University College London (UCL) - Deputy Director, Behavioural Research UK
12:35 pm - 1:35 pm
LUNCH BREAK
SESSION 3: POPULATIONS & PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY
1:35 pm - 1:40 pm
Welcome & introductions from the Summit chair (PM)
Chair
Prof Robin Mermelstein Distinguished Professor of Psychology and IHRP Director - University of Illinois, Chicago
1:40 pm - 1:55 pm
Bridging the gap: Rethinking cessation across today’s nicotine users
Speaker
Kathy Crosby CEO and President - Truth Initiative
1:55 pm - 2:15 pm
Smoking and aging: Re-imagining smoking cessation for older adults
Part I. Left Behind: How We Overlooked Older Adults Who Smoke
The overall decreasing trend in cigarette use is not seen among older adults and the smoking prevalence in this age group has increased in recent years. As the older population is expected to double by 2050, older adult smokers present an important group to reduce tobacco-related burden. Yet older adults have been largely ignored by targeted cessation campaigns. This presentation examines the current landscape of tobacco control among older adults and explores why they have not seen the same progress as younger individuals. Epidemiological trends and the results of smoking cessation trials will also be used to show how certain subgroups within this age range face additional barriers to quitting. A new paradigm in this discussion involves the role of alternative nicotine delivery systems (ANDS). While most of the conversation around ANDS has been on preventing initiation among youth, the potential benefits of ANDS as a harm reduction tool for older adults who have not successfully quit through traditional methods should not be overlooked. (SPEAKER: Dr Jaqueline Avila)Part II. The electronic cigarette: a feasible harm reduction and smoking cessation tool for older adults?
Electronic cigarettes (EC) are a potential harm reduction and smoking cessation tool for older adults who smoke and do not succeed with conventional treatment. However, only 1% of adults aged 65 and older use EC in the US (NHIS, 2024), and there is little evidence of their interest in switching to EC. Our team addressed these questions among adult smokers who recently underwent a lung cancer screening (LCS) test, which is recommended annually for smokers aged 50-80 years with a 20 pack-year smoking history. In a pilot trial, we examined perceptions about EC use, interest in trying ECs, and the effects of switching from cigarettes to ECs among patients who did not quit smoking with the conventional treatment provided at LCS. (SPEAKER: Dr Nancy A. Rigotti, MD)Speakers
Dr Jaqueline Avila Assistant Professor in the Department of Gerontology - University of Massachusetts Boston
Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti, MD Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School - Director, Tobacco Research & Treatment Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
2:15 pm - 2:30 pm
Marginalized smokers who don’t count (Literally). Targeting high-smoking groups for cessation
Speaker
Prof Ken Warner Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus - School of Public Health, University of Michigan
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm
Nicotine use trends in England: Balancing the needs of different populations
Speaker
Prof Sarah Jackson Professorial Research Fellow, Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group - University College London (UCL)
2:45 pm - 3:10 pm
Panel Discussion and Q&A: How can we achieve success for all – what would that look like?
Chair
Prof Robin Mermelstein Distinguished Professor of Psychology and IHRP Director - University of Illinois, Chicago
Speakers
Kathy Crosby CEO and President - Truth Initiative
Dr Jaqueline Avila Assistant Professor in the Department of Gerontology - University of Massachusetts Boston
Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti, MD Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School - Director, Tobacco Research & Treatment Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Prof Ken Warner Avedis Donabedian Distinguished University Professor Emeritus and Dean Emeritus - School of Public Health, University of Michigan
Prof Sarah Jackson Professorial Research Fellow, Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group - University College London (UCL)
Guest Panelist
Skip Murray Volunteer - Public Health Advocate
3:10 pm - 3:30 pm
PM REFRESHMENT BREAK
SESSION 4: DEFINING SUCCESS & END GOALS
3:30 pm - 3:45 pm
Seeing clearly with regulatory stances: What would the world look like under different regulatory stances?
Speaker
Dr. Alex C. Liber Public Health Researcher - Center for Innovation in Health Policy & Practice, RTI International
3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
Defining failure: Unforeseen market consequences of regulatory restrictions on non-combusted nicotine products
Speaker
Tim Phillips Managing Director - ECigIntelligence/TobaccoIntelligence
4:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Taking a comparative perspective: comparing cigarette and e-cigarette flavor restrictions across countries
Speaker
Assoc Prof Holly Jarman Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management - University of Michigan
4:15 pm - 4:30 pm
Nicotine pouches: Will they make a difference?
Speaker
Prof Peter Hajek Professor of Clinical Psychology & Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit - Wolfson Institute of Public Health, Queen Mary University of London
4:30 pm - 4:45 pm
Is this what success looks like? 50 years of smoking in a society where cigarettes have competed with snus and, more recently, nicotine pouches
Speaker
Tord Finne Vedøy Senior Researcher, Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs - Norwegian Institute of Public Health
4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
CLOSING KEYNOTE: End goals and big questions
Speaker
Prof Dorothy K. Hatsukami Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - University of Minnesota
5:00 pm - 5:25 pm
Panel Discussion and Q&A: How will we know when – or if – we get things right?
Chair
Prof Robin Mermelstein Distinguished Professor of Psychology and IHRP Director - University of Illinois, Chicago
Speakers
Dr. Alex C. Liber Public Health Researcher - Center for Innovation in Health Policy & Practice, RTI International
Tim Phillips Managing Director - ECigIntelligence/TobaccoIntelligence
Assoc Prof Holly Jarman Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management - University of Michigan
Prof Peter Hajek Professor of Clinical Psychology & Director of the Tobacco Dependence Research Unit - Wolfson Institute of Public Health, Queen Mary University of London
Tord Finne Vedøy Senior Researcher, Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs - Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Prof Dorothy K. Hatsukami Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences - University of Minnesota
5:25 pm - 5:30 pm
Summit Closing Thoughts
Chair
Prof Robin Mermelstein Distinguished Professor of Psychology and IHRP Director - University of Illinois, Chicago


