Center for Health Services Research and Development at the Global Tobacco Dependence Treatment Summit in Mayo Clinic

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Rochester, MN, USA – Senior Researcher Arusyak Harutyunyan, MD, MPH (2009) represented the AUA School of Public Health’s (SPH) Center for Health Services Research and Development (CHSR) in the Global Tobacco Dependence Treatment Summit 2016 that took place at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, USA. The Global Tobacco Dependence Treatment Summit brought together around 200 world public health leaders, researchers, advocates and healthcare providers to advance culturally relevant treatment of tobacco dependence around the globe and discuss the impact of healthcare professional advocacy on tobacco control. The event, organized by the Mayo Clinic’s Nicotine Dependence Center (NDC) and Global Bridges, highlighted the importance of tobacco dependence treatment and the key role of healthcare professionals in combating the tobacco pandemic.

Dr. Harutyunyan was one of the 45 invited speakers of the Summit – “Speakers Who Inspire”. Drs. Arusyak Harutyunyan and Martin Raw, Director of the International Center for Tobacco Cessation in the UK, led the session Available and Affordable Global Pharmacotherapy, they addressed the FCTC Article 14 recommendations regarding availability of evidence-based pharmacotherapies for the treatment of tobacco dependence, discussed accessibility and affordability issues, and presented the international survey regarding pharmacotherapy in several countries that Dr. Harutyunyan initiated.

As the Principal Investigator of the “Implementing the FCTC 14 through advocacy and training” project, supported by the Global Bridges through an Independent grant for Learning & Change, Pfizer, Dr. Harutyunyan participated in the CONNECT Global Bridges-Grantee Meeting that brought together Global Bridges and Smoking Cessation Leadership Center grantees to discuss challenges, strategies and lessons learned in championing tobacco dependence treatment. Dr. Harutyunyan also presented the “Implementing the FCTC 14 through advocacy and training” project poster at the “Learning from International and U.S. Grant Projects in Treatment” Poster session.

The AUA School of Public Health works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of public health professionals to be leaders in public health, health services research and evaluation, and health care delivery and management.